The Role of the Amygdala in Decoding Visual Metaphors in Advertising, a Theoretical Research.
A theoretical study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21928/juhd.v12n3y2026.pp171-177Keywords:
Amygdala, Visual Metaphor, Attention, Commercial Advertising, Consumer BehaviorAbstract
In the contemporary era of the Attention Economy, commercial advertising strategically employs cognitive and emotional mechanisms to influence and shape consumer perception. Within this context, visual metaphors emerge as one of the most powerful and creative tools, capable of transforming abstract brand concepts into compelling and memorable imagery.
Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, this study investigates the intricate relationship between cognitive neuroscience, consumer psychology, and visual rhetoric, with particular emphasis on the pivotal role of the amygdala in decoding and evaluating visual metaphors.
As the central structure responsible for organizing emotion and memory, the amygdala plays a critical role in shaping the brain’s responses to emotionally and cognitively charged visual stimuli. The findings of this research highlight how visual metaphors foster a process of pleasurable cognitive engagement, which, in turn, activates the brain’s reward and emotional circuits—most notably those involving the amygdala.
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