On Being Warm-Hearted: Daily Diary Investigations of Self-Location and Social Functioning

When people are asked to locate the self within the body, they most frequently point to the head or upper torso, which contains the heart. The head and the heart also figure prominently in conceptual metaphors for the self, with the head linked to cold rationality and the heart linked to warm emotionality. Three studies involving four daily diary samples (total N = 540) focused on interrelations between perceived locations for the self and daily interpersonal conduct. On days on which individuals perceived the self to be located primarily in the heart, they felt and behaved in a more prosocial manner, and these relationships remained significant when controlling for daily stressor frequencies. Variations in self-location did not predict antisocial behaviors, though hostile feelings were less intense when self-locations favored the heart. The results provide new evidence for the relevance of conceptual metaphors to self-representation and social functioning.