Estimating the evidentiary value of studies examining bodily feedback effects on motivation: a z-curve analysis

The embodied view of cognition holds that cognitive and emotional processes are grounded in our bodily experiences and physical interactions with the world. In line with this view, studies have purported to show that enacting motivation-related postures, expressions, and actions can elicit or modulate their corresponding motivational states. While theory-building reviews on the topic have accepted these studies’ conclusions at face value, a closer reading of key articles reveals several statistical issues that cast doubt on their veracity. The present study sought to estimate the evidentiary value of these bodily feedback effects on motivation by fitting a z-curve on 52 significant results reported across 18 articles. Analyses indicated little, if any, evidentiary value, with a dismal estimated replicability rate of 22%. Results highlight the need for review papers to focus on both the quantity and quality of evidence supporting the embodied motivation hypothesis.