In several blog entries we will see what philosophers have to say about the body being 'the brain', reviewing key theories in psychology and related fields. We will explore the famous phenomena of priming; we’ll learn about how an idea or body posture can influence your thinking, but also how an idea can influence how you behave.

1. Barbara Strozzilaan 300 , 1083 HN Amsterdam | +31 204043982 | www.mobiquityinc.com
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Your body is your brain
Stephan Takken, Digital UX Designer, Mobiquity Europe
You probably believe that cognition is a mind-only activity, but
actually it isn’t. Try this: grab 15 assorted coins, throw them on the
table and without moving them compute the total. You can do it sure,
but it takes effort. Now, imagine doing that again but now you are
allowed the use of your hands, easier isn’t it? So what happens
here? You actually are using your body to process information and I
believe it influences the way you perceive, behave and how much
you can handle mentally.
The next couple of months I will take you on an overview journey in
the subject. In several blog entries we will see what philosophers
have to say about the body being the brain and we will review some
key theories in psychology and related fields. Every blog article will
have some key take-aways for you to think about or even implement
in your day-to-day work.
First we will explore the famous phenomena of priming; we’ll learn
about how an idea or body posture can influence your thinking, but
also how an idea can influence how you behave. For example, did
you know that when you read about being old you will move slower?
(Bargh et al. 1996)
Second we will tap into Tactile Reasoning; this concept explains how
we use our bodies to make sense of information in the world around
us (remember the coins). Who doesn't sometimes count with fingers,
sort bolts and nuts before assembling (Kirsh and Maglio, 1994) or
use your finger as a pointer when reading?

2. Barbara Strozzilaan 300 , 1083 HN Amsterdam | +31 204043982 | www.mobiquityinc.com
Rabo bank: 1066.78.345 BIC:RABONL2U IBAN:NL96RABO0106678345
KvK:34270669 BTW/VAT:NL8178.04.146.B01
To wrap up the series we will make the leap to embodied cognition
where we will conclude our journey by explaining in what way I think
the body is part of your brain and why this matters. To give a sneak
peek in the subject, did you know that our language is full of body
metaphors? These metaphors connect the physical with the mental
world. When we had a mentally straining day for example we say:
“I’ve had a heavy day”. When we describe a person you could say
he’s a soft person, or cold.
References
Bargh, John A., Chen, Mark, Burrows, Laura (1996). Automaticity of social behavior:
Direct effects of trait construct and stereotype activation on action. Journal of
personality and social psychology 71 (2): 230-44
Kirsh, D. & Maglio, P. (1995) Complementary strategies: Why we use our hands when
we think, Proceedings of the seventeenth annual conference of, 1-7.