Title: Figurative Language as a Window into Emotion: Insights from Experimental and Observational Methods

Abstract: Experiencing emotions is part of daily life. Often, when we encounter them in us or others, we use language to communicate about them. Literal language quickly reaches its limits in expressing complex concepts such as emotions or emotional states, and we might rely on figurative language. For example, instead of saying that we are angry, we might swear, state that we are fuming, or send a frowning emoji to let others know how we feel. Such non-literal expressions are rich and provide crucial insights into how we recognize, experience, and manage emotions in the self and others. In this talk, I will highlight the figurative language and emotion interface by discussing two kinds of figurative language and what they reveal about emotion. First, I will discuss recent work on using verbal irony to manage felt negativity from different communicative perspectives. I will then focus on swear language, discussing its neural signature, naturalistic use, and how these two approaches can inform each other. Synthesizing findings from experimental and observational approaches, I argue for the importance of figurative language in emotion and cognition more broadly.