Writing to Be Understood: What Works and Why by Anne Janzer

Author:Anne Janzer
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Cuesta Park Consulting

The Cognitive Impact of Analogy

Analogies can activate the reader’s curiosity as well as sensory processing and emotions. They are also exceptionally effective at explaining abstract ideas and relationships.

When faced with abstract topics, analogies give our minds concrete ideas to work with. They are particularly effective for explaining relationships between abstract ideas or the behavior of unseen forces.

For example, the field of physics relies heavily on analogies to describe theoretical forces. String theory likens the interaction of unseen particles to the behavior of strings. The paradoxes of quantum mechanics come to life in a thought experiment involving a cat in a box (Shrödinger’s cat).

People who write or speak about technology also compare the hidden aspects of technology to ordinary, everyday activities. Sarah Granger, a digital media entrepreneur, writer, and author of The Digital Mystique, relies on metaphors that connect the unseen world of technology with familiar objects.

If I were to write an article about a denial-of-service attack, which is a type of computer hacking, I might relate it to pouring so much coffee into a cup that the cup overflows. The coffee is the metaphor for the excessive messages or pings the hackers send to the server they want to reach. All that data coming at once overwhelms the server and it can’t handle the load, and nothing else can get in. Service is denied. The coffee cup has to be cleaned up and emptied before it can be used again. Same with the server.

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