Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part C (2025)

Metaphorical framing exerts a strong influence on human cognition, decision-making, and memory through connecting abstract things to more tangible, daily experiences. This paper discusses the operation of metaphors in organising thought and shaping cognition through the theoretical frameworks of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, embodied cognition, and neural mechanisms such as Hebbian learning and mirror neurons. From foundational research to new experimental data, it looks at the operation of metaphors in the reconstruction of memory, formation of public opinion, and orientations of moral and political judgment. Metaphors engage emotional and sensorimotor systems, increasing memory retrieval and influencing perceptions of danger and policy preference. Cognitive and neural substrates of metaphorical framing parallel its general influence across a wide variety of psychological processes, and so the paramount value of circumspect application of metaphors in communication and decision-making. The paper concludes through a commentary on the limitations of culture and the requirement for carefully constructed future research to better clarify the operation of metaphor in shaping human thought.