Why “Up” is Good and “Down” is Bad

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Have you ever wondered why the word “up” appears in so many different phrases in English? One of our readers recently raised an intriguing point: why do people in England “park up” their cars, while Americans simply “park”? Why do we “fold up” sheets, “roll up” towels, “clean up” our homes, and “look up” information? Why does “up” feel so natural in these contexts, while its opposite, “down,” is rarely used in the same way? What, indeed, is “up” with that word?

The word “up” seems to pop up everywhere in English, carrying different meanings depending on the context. From folding up laundry to loading up the car, the use of “up” goes beyond its literal sense of direction. So, why is “up” so versatile? What makes it such a go-to word in our language, and why does it so often convey a positive or complete action? Let’s delve deeper into this linguistic mystery and uncover what makes “up” such a fascinating word.

The “Up is Good” Metaphor in Human Cognition

The reason “up” appears so frequently in English expressions comes from a deeply ingrained cognitive bias: the metaphor that “up is good” and “down is bad.” This bias isn’t arbitrary; it’s rooted in our physical and psychological experiences from early on in life. Cognitive linguistics, the field that studies how language relates to thought, explains that humans often use spatial metaphors to understand abstract concepts. “Up” and “down” are two of the most fundamental of these metaphors.

Physical Experience Shapes Language

From a young age, humans associate “up” with positive states and “down” with negative ones. For example:

• Health and Alertness: Being upright is often associated with being healthy and active, while lying down is linked with resting or, in more extreme cases, sickness or death.
• Confidence and Energy: Standing up straight conveys confidence and readiness, while slumping or falling down suggests weakness, failure, or exhaustion.
• Reaching Desires: When we reach up, we are often grasping for something desirable (like fruit on a tree or an object on a shelf), whereas falling down can imply danger, loss, or harm.

These experiences form the basis of the metaphor “up is good,” which is then extended to our use of language.

Psychological and Emotional Associations

This metaphor extends beyond physical experiences to describe psychological and emotional states:

• We say “cheer up” to encourage someone, and we “perk up” when we feel more energetic. These phrases suggest an improvement or positive change in mood or state.
• On the other hand, “feeling down” or being “let down” carries negative connotations, implying sadness or disappointment. Similarly, “breaking down” can mean emotional collapse or failure.

Let’s have a look at some more examples:

Positive (Up):

• “Lift someone’s spirits” means to make someone feel happier or more optimistic.
• “Brighten up” suggests a person’s mood becoming happier or more cheerful.
• “Look up” (as in “things are looking up”) indicates that a situation is improving.
• “Build someone up” means to encourage or boost someone’s confidence.
• “Get fired up” describes becoming excited, enthusiastic, or motivated.
• “Soar with happiness” suggests feeling extremely joyful, like flying high in the sky.

Negative (Down):

• “Feel downcast” means feeling dejected or disheartened.
• “Let down” implies disappointment or a feeling of being failed by someone or something.
• “Down in the dumps” is a colloquial expression for feeling sad or depressed.
• “Break down” emotionally refers to losing control due to stress or overwhelming emotions.
• “Sink into despair” describes falling deeper into sadness or hopelessness.
• “Wear down” indicates being emotionally or mentally exhausted or defeated over time.

Success and Achievement

The “up is good” metaphor also applies to concepts of success and achievement:

• Expressions like “moving up the ladder” in a career or “rising to the occasion” reflect progress and positive accomplishment.
• Conversely, “going downhill” or “being brought down” suggests failure, decline, or a worsening situation.

More examples:

Positive (Up):

• “Climb the corporate ladder” means advancing to higher positions in a career.
• “Level up” is commonly used in gaming and business to mean achieving a higher level or status.
• “Step up” can mean to take on more responsibility or rise to a challenge.
• “Up-and-coming” refers to someone or something that is gaining recognition or rising in status.
• “Boost” one’s career or reputation implies giving it a positive lift or acceleration.
• “Ascend to greatness” suggests achieving high levels of success or honor.

Negative (Down):

• “Fall from grace” describes losing respect, status, or favor.
• “Hit rock bottom” refers to reaching the lowest point, often in terms of failure or misfortune.
• “Slide into obscurity” means to gradually lose recognition or importance.
• “Knocked down” can imply being defeated, both literally and metaphorically.
• “Decline in fortune” or “spiral downward” suggests a worsening situation or continuous loss.
• “Crash and burn” indicates a sudden and complete failure or collapse.

Why “Up” for These Expressions?

Given this widespread cognitive bias, “up” becomes a natural choice for describing actions that signify completion, elevation, or improvement. Let’s break down a few examples mentioned earlier:

• Completion or Intensification: Phrases like “clean up,” “finish up,” or “tidy up” suggest completing an action thoroughly. Finishing a task is generally seen as a positive and desirable outcome, hence the use of “up.”
• Preparation or Readiness: In British English, saying “park up” or “load up” implies completing the task and being ready for the next step. “Up” signals a state of readiness or completion.
• Search or Exploration: To “look up” an address or “call up” a friend implies searching for or reaching out to obtain information or contact. Here, “up” suggests extending one’s knowledge or social connections—again, positive actions.

Why Not “Down”?

The use of “down” often carries the opposite connotations. “Down” is associated with decline, negativity, or reduction:

• Phrases like “break down” suggest failure or malfunction.
• “Let down” means disappointment or betrayal.
• “Back down” or “step down” implies giving up or relinquishing a position of power.

Because of these associations, “down” is less likely to be used in contexts where a positive, complete, or intensive meaning is intended.

Further Reading: Delving into Cognitive Linguistics

If you find the topic of how language reflects thought intriguing, there is a wealth of fascinating literature that delves deeper into these ideas. One seminal work in the field of cognitive linguistics is “Metaphors We Live By” by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.

This groundbreaking book explores the concept of metaphors not just as poetic devices, but as fundamental to how we understand the world and communicate about it. Lakoff and Johnson discuss how metaphors like “up is good” shape our perceptions, actions, and even social structures.

Here are some other excellent resources to explore:

• “Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal About the Mind” by George Lakoff: This book expands on the ideas in “Metaphors We Live By” and dives into how human categorization is reflected in language.
• “The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending and the Mind’s Hidden Complexities” by Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner: This book introduces the concept of “conceptual blending,” a cognitive process that combines different mental spaces to create meaning, which is crucial in understanding metaphors and idiomatic language.
• “Language in the Mind: An Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics” by Vyvyan Evans: A more accessible introduction to cognitive linguistics, covering how our minds structure language and meaning.

These works provide deeper insights into how language operates at the intersection of cognition, culture, and experience. By exploring them, you can better understand how seemingly simple words like “up” are part of a larger system of metaphors that guide our thinking and communication.

The Power of Metaphor

So, why is “up” chosen for so many expressions in English? It aligns with a fundamental metaphor in human cognition—”Up is good; down is bad.” This metaphor shapes how we perceive the world, our emotions, and even how we talk about actions and states. The choice of “up” in these expressions reflects our innate bias toward seeing upward movement or positioning as positive, reinforcing its usage across countless contexts in English. This is why “up” is such a dynamic, versatile word and why it has found its way into so many phrases that we use every day.