There's nothing like a good metaphor to get a complicated idea across.
Small businesses are the "engine" of economic growth. The middle class is "treading water." Etc.
We like metaphors because they make abstract ideas concrete and easier to understand.
So we think of "time" as having physical properties -- it "flies" or it's "running out." Or we think of peronalities in terms of temperature readings -- people are "warm" or "cold." Etc.
The metaphors people use can give us an insight into their thinking. Research suggests metaphors can even unconsciously shape their behavior.
People asked to remember a past event leaned backwards; people asked to think about the future leaned forward. People holding a cup of warm coffee were more likely to think an interviewer was warm and friendly than people holding a cold drink. Etc.
Journalist Julia Graf wrote a great post on the phenomenon back in April.
And one of her points -- that metaphors can mislead -- is worth remembering in this political season.
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