To take one example: by moving our bodies, we activate a deeply ingrained and mostly unconscious metaphor connecting dynamic motion with dynamic thinking. Call to mind the words we use when we can’t seem to muster an original idea—we’re “stuck,” “in a rut”—and those we reach for when we feel visited by the muse. Then we’re “on a roll,” our thoughts are “flowing.” Research has demonstrated that people can be placed in a creative state of mind by physically acting out creativity-related figures of speech—like “thinking outside the box.”
