Body and Mind: Comparative research on mentalistic conceptualizations in Poland and China

The paper presents preliminary research done as part of a project in which we aim to explore the influence of cultural factors on social cognition. The project focuses on the comparison of two social groups – the Polish and the Chinese – and the studies presented pertain to the distinction between the concepts of the mind and the body in the two cultures. Our interdisciplinary methodology comprises of relevant analyses of philosophical tradition in both cultures, linguistic analysis of contemporary language, and questionnaire studies aimed at measuring the extent to which linguistic practice and philosophical tradition impact actual conceptualizations of the concepts in question. Preliminary results suggest that dualistic philosophical tradition of the West is indeed reflected in Poles’ conceptualizations of the mind and the body as distinct entities. This leads to contrast between that which is emotional and that which is intellectual. Conversely, the Chinese concept of the heart-mind present in Chinese linguistic practice and philosophical tradition leads to holistic conceptualizations of the mind and the body and corresponding to them spheres of the intellectual and the emotional.