Rationale
Cluster IP
Imagine stepping into a cathedral, where light filters through stained glass, or joining a synagogue’s rhythmic prayers—spaces where emotions are not just felt but shared, shaped by ritual, architecture, and collective presence. The same happens at mass gatherings, such as concerts, protests, or sports events, where emotions ripple through crowds, enacted and embodied in ways that transcend the individual. In this cluster, we explore the deep connection between emotions, space, and performance—how feelings are shaped by the environments we inhabit and the social dynamics around us. Emotions are not just internal states but collective acts that reinforce identities, challenge power structures, and redefine belonging. By examining historical and contemporary emotional performances, we seek to understand how spaces influence experience and how these dynamics continue to evolve.
Thai novices at a Bhuddist temple (Pixabay)
Leading research questions
By focusing on how emotions are not only felt but also enacted and embodied through rituals, social practices, and everyday interactions, the project seeks to uncover the intersections of emotion, identity, and power in both individual and collective emotional landscapes.
How do physical and social environments shape the emotional experiences and expressions of individuals and communities across different cultural, historical, and social contexts?
In what ways do rituals, social practices, and everyday interactions perform and embody emotions, and how do these performances influence the formation of identity and power dynamics within specific spaces?
Humans live in a world where physical space is meaningful in itself. We consciously create and shape our environments, and this in turn influences our behaviour and development of those spaces.
(Kashmiri Stec and Eve Sweetser, 2013, “Borobudur and Chartres: Religious spaces as performative real-space blends.” Sensuous Cognition, p. 271)
Showcase study (1): Performing collective emotions
junior researcher
More than any other emotional experience, patriotism is not just a personal feeling but a collective performance shaped by language, culture, and society. Just like emotions ripple through crowds at concerts, protests, or religious gatherings, patriotism is enacted and reinforced through the way people talk about it.
The words and metaphors we use to describe patriotic sentiment reveal deeper cultural and political influences, shaping how individuals connect to their country and to each other. By analyzing different varieties of English and Russian, we can see that patriotism is framed across linguistic and national spaces, showing both shared patterns and unique cultural perspectives. Some societies conceptualize patriotism as a duty, others as a deep emotional connection, and some even as a form of devotion similar to religion.
This variation highlights how the emotions of patriotism is not just felt internally but performed and experienced collectively, reinforcing national identity and shaping the way people understand belonging.
Showcase study (2): Motion and emotions in a Shinto shrine
senior researcher
Regardless of belief, visiting a sacred space can be a deeply emotional experience. At the Inari-Taisha Shrine, emotions unfold as visitors move through its iconic torii gates, creating an immersive journey. Many describe a calm reverence, shaped by metaphors linking spirituality to light, purity, and transcendence.
Walking through the seemingly endless gates evokes a sense of being enveloped or guided by an unseen force. Awe and admiration emerge through language tied to power and divinity, while others experience mystery or introspection, struggling to grasp the shrine’s spiritual depth. The shrine’s atmosphere elicits embodied reactions—breath slowing, posture shifting, and instinctive quietness—showing that emotions are not just felt but lived through sensory and cognitive interaction with the space.
Studying these emotional experiences through a cognitive linguistic lens helps us understand how language shapes and reflects our perception of sacred spaces. By analyzing how visitors describe their feelings, we gain insight into the cultural and psychological processes that make these encounters so profound. This research highlights the universal yet deeply cultural-specific nature of spiritual experiences, showing how words and metaphors bridge the gap between emotion and environment.
Major research results
Journal article
Díaz-Vera, Javier E. (2024). Aesthetic emotional reactions and their verbal expression in a corpus of Japanese travellers’ online reviews. Language and Cognition 16(3): 762–784.
ISSN: 1866-9088
RELEVANCE: Using Conceptual Metaphor Theory, I examine how Japanese speakers express aesthetic emotions by analyzing a corpus of 1,100 TripAdvisor reviews focused on iconic landmarks like Mount Fuji and the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome. My study categorizes aesthetic emotions into four types—pleasure, contemplation, amazement, and respect—and explores the metaphors and embodied experiences shaping these expressions. This research highlights the cultural influences on aesthetic reactions, challenging the assumption that such responses are universal and offering insights into the interplay between language, emotion, and culture.
KEY AREAS: Japanese, Aesthetic Emotions, Tourism, Embodiment, Culture.
Document
Cabanillas-Buitrago, Natalia. (2024). The language of patriotism: A cross-varietal study of linguistic metaphors and expressions (BA dissertation). Ciudad Real: UCLM.
RELEVANCE: This research is deeply relevant in today’s globalized world, where language serves as both a mirror and a medium of cultural expression. By exploring how patriotism is verbally manifested across different varieties of English and in Russian, this study sheds light on the intricate relationship between language, culture, and national identity. Understanding these variations not only enhances our comprehension of linguistic diversity but also provides insight into how sociopolitical contexts shape emotional expression. In an era of shifting national sentiments and evolving global dynamics, this research contributes to a broader discussion on how patriotism is conceptualized and communicated, ultimately fostering cross-cultural awareness and appreciation.
KEY AREAS: English, Russian, Patriotism, Conceptual Variation.
Journal article
Díaz-Vera, Javier E. (2024). La expresión lingüística de las emociones estéticas: una propuesta para su estudio (The linguistic expression of aesthetic emotions: A proposal for its study). Textos en Proceso 10(1): 59–76.
ISSN: 2001-967X
RELEVANCE: This study is deepens our understanding of how language captures and conveys aesthetic emotions across different Spanish dialects. By analyzing travelers’ reviews of the Giza Pyramids, I identify meaningful connections between linguistic expressions and somatic reactions, shedding light on how people articulate their emotional responses to art and cultural heritage. The research includes a state-of-the-art review of cultural variation in the expression of aesthetic emotions and is the first study to specifically target these expressions and emotions in the Spanish language. This contribution not only advances the study of linguistic expression of emotions but also offers insights into the interplay between language, culture, and aesthetic experience, paving the way for future research on the topic.
KEY AREAS: Spanish, Aesthetic Emotions, Embodiment, Conceptual Variation.
Journal article
Díaz-Vera, Javier E. (2021). Conceptual variation in the linguistic expression of aesthetic emotions: Cross-cultural perspectives on an underexplored domain. Studies in Psychology 42(2): 399–427.
ISSN: 0210-9395
RELEVANCE: My research focuses on how speakers express aesthetic emotions, an area less explored compared to utilitarian emotions. Aesthetic emotions were once thought to lack specific patterns of metaphoric and metonymic representation, making expressions for art-related feelings seem arbitrary. However, recent studies show that many aesthetic emotions have characteristic embodiment. I analyzed a corpus of traveler reviews written by native speakers of Japanese and English. The findings reveal that both groups often use similar conceptual patterns, but also highlight cultural differences in how these emotions are described. Additionally, some emotions are expressed only in one sub-corpus, suggesting a cultural tendency to experience certain emotions in specific contexts. Overall, this research enhances our understanding of how culture influences the expression of aesthetic emotions.
KEY AREAS: Psychology, Japanese, English, Aesthetic Emotions, Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines.
Journal article
Díaz-Vera, Javier E. (2016). Exploring the relationship between emotions, language and space: Construals of awe in medieval English language and pilgrimage experience. Studia Neophilologica 88(1): 165–189.
ISSN: 1651-2308
RELEVANCE: This research explores the profound impact of emotions on human existence, cognition, and behavior, emphasizing their role as a driving force in shaping attitudes and perceptions. By examining how cultural artifacts, crafted within specific ecological and socio-cultural contexts, elicit emotions across time and space, the study sheds light on the enduring connection between material culture and emotional experiences. This understanding has implications for various fields, including psychology, cultural studies, and communication.
KEY AREAS: Cognitive Sociolinguistics, Emotion Metaphor, Cultural Linguistics, Geopolitics of Emotions, Sociology.
Funding received
The Expression and Conceptualization of Aesthetic Emotions: Linguistic and Cultural Variation (SBPLY/17/180501/000267), funded by FEDER-EU/JCCM
In this project (2017-2021) we focused on how aesthetic emotions—such as awe, admiration, and the sense of beauty—are expressed and understood in English across different cultural contexts. Through an analysis of art works and textual evidences, the study explored how these emotions are linguistically articulated and shaped by cultural influences. The findings revealed the centrality of metaphor and figurative language in describing aesthetic experiences, with English speakers frequently drawing on imagery of light, nature, and the sublime to express admiration or wonder. The study also highlighted the influence of globalization and digital communication, where traditional expressions often intersect with modern, more immediate forms. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how aesthetic emotions are both universal and culturally specific, while the project’s open-access resources provide valuable tools for exploring emotional language.