Remember the expression: “Talk to the hand.”?

Well, regardless of the words, the image of a pushed out arm is often connected to something negative.

And an arm beckoning towards oneself is typically connected to something positive.

A recent experiment published in Psychological Science shows that approaching or moving away from an object can actually affect our thought processes. And body movements which are connected to negative emotions tend to enhance cognitive ability. The authors say that’s probably because adverse situations typically require more cognitive control to deal with potentially bad consequences

Taking four steps back improved a subject’s accuracy and timing on the task, whereas taking four steps forward led to longer processing times and more errors.

Gives you a new angle on the line: “Take a step back and think for a second.”