Train Your Mind: Metaphors as a Gym for the Brain

Tuesday, March 17 and Friday, March 20 – 9:30 AM

Online on Zoom: http://bit.ly/3NaIKd9

Valentina Bambini, Maddalena Bressler, Alessia Tavars

On the occasion of Brain Awareness Week, the international initiative dedicated to promoting neuroscience to the public, the IUSS School for Advanced Studies Pavia is hosting two interactive webinars exploring the relationship between metaphors, language, and the brain.

What are metaphors? How are they processed by our brain? Why do we say that the brain is a computer, that ideas grow, or that deforestation is a razor?

We often think of metaphors as fascinating rhetorical figures used in poetry and music. In fact, metaphors are much more than that: they are fundamental cognitive tools that the human mind uses to understand complex concepts and communicate more effectively.

During the two interactive webinars, which will include exercises and guided activities, we will explore the relationship between metaphors and the brain, and the power of these expressions as a “gym” for maintaining communicative and cognitive abilities throughout life.

We will also discuss the special connection between metaphors and the environment, exploring the language used to describe natural elements and climate change, and discovering how metaphors can help us think in more “green” ways.

The activities are part of the #TrovaLaMetafora (#FindTheMetaphor) campaign, which aims to stimulate critical thinking by encouraging people to recognize metaphors in everyday life.

The #TrovaLaMetafora project is promoted by the IUSS School for Advanced Studies Pavia within the PROMENADE research project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC). https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101045733/it

Speakers: Valentina Bambini, Maddalena Bressler, Alessia Tavars (IUSS)

For more information about the campaign and how to participate: https://www.neplab.it/trovalametafora/

More information: https://www.fondazionezoe.it/attivita/archivio-eventi/allena-la-mente-le-metafore-come-palestra-per-il-cervello/