Embodied cognition and emotional disorders
Journal of Experimental Psychopathology December 1, 2016 Bergljot Gjelsvik, Darko Lovrić, Mark G. Williams 29 citations
Embodied cognition research shows that thinking involves re-enacting motor and sensory experiences, a process called simulation. Evidence supports a 'distributed plus hub' model where simulation underpins knowledge. The authors argue that emotional disorders like depression arise from failed simulation: semantic processing reactivates motor-sensory simulations linked to low mood, and people may truncate this simulation by relying on abstract, language-based thinking to reduce emotional distress, which maintains psychopathology. The review examines how truncated simulation contributes to emotional disorders and discusses implications for treatment.