Describing Sensations: Do You Need to Feel Them First?

A new study challenges the notion that somatosensation is fundamental for understanding metaphors that have to do with tactile sensations. Research from the University of Chicago with a unique individual who was born without somatosensation shows that you can comprehend and use tactile language and metaphors without relying on previous sensory experiences. The study demonstrates that individuals can comprehend and use tactile language and metaphor without recruiting past somatosensory experiences, and thus challenges a strong definition of embodied cognition which requires sensory simulations in language comprehension and abstract thought.