Why Metaphors Work Better Than Facts

In a digital space overloaded with information—where we encounter a constant flood of data every day—dry facts often get lost in the noise. They may be logically sound, but they rarely leave a lasting impression. In contrast, images and metaphors, skillfully woven into a narrative, not only capture attention but also evoke strong emotions, leaving behind a memorable impact.

Images and Metaphors: Language That Comes Alive

Images and metaphors perform several key functions in communication. They have a cognitive function, helping us better understand a subject or phenomenon by adding new layers of meaning. They also serve a nominative function, referring to objects indirectly through associations. Their aesthetic function enhances the text by adding emotional coloring and enriching the reader’s imagination. Moreover, figurative language simplifies communication and shortens the distance between speaker and audience, making the message more engaging.

Images and metaphors achieve high cognitive effectiveness through sensory concretization. They don’t merely “animate” language; they transform abstract ideas into vivid sensory experiences. Research shows that the more concrete the source domain of a metaphor, the more effectively it clarifies the target concept. This means the brain processes such language similarly to real-life experience, activating the same areas as physical perception. For example, when we say “a warm atmosphere,” the brain activates regions associated with warmth, creating a deeper and more intuitive understanding than simply saying “a pleasant atmosphere.”

This is not just a linguistic technique—it’s a cognitive mechanism that taps into our innate patterns of perception. Metaphors are a universal mechanism of thought, extending even into poetry as a result of expanding commonly accepted systems of metaphorical thinking. This points to their deep-rooted place in human cognition, not merely as literary devices. They are a fundamental way the human brain organizes and interprets the world—allowing us to “see” one thing through the lens of another, which is a basic cognitive function.

“Dry Facts”: When Logic Goes Unheard

In communication, dry facts are isolated pieces of information—numbers, statistics, or data—presented without emotional tone, context, or narrative structure. They answer the questions “who, what, how much, when?” but fail to explain “how” or “why” something happened. This method of delivering information often proves ineffective for several reasons.

First, dry facts don’t evoke emotion. “Cold” information is much harder to retain because our brains naturally pay attention to content that triggers feelings or emotional responses. Second, new information is often met with resistance and skepticism. Without some preparatory storytelling or emotional hook, new facts are perceived as unfamiliar and untrustworthy. Third, for someone encountering a topic for the first time, it’s hard to make sense of a stream of facts without a story that connects them. Facts alone don’t demonstrate causality or relationships.

Furthermore, dry facts often lack motivational power, while a compelling story can inspire and provoke reflection. In modern marketing, dry advertising no longer works. Consumers seek emotions, values, and meaningful connections with a brand—not just a list of features or technical specs.

In today’s world, where time is scarce and attention is fragmented, dry facts demand high cognitive effort to process—especially when stripped of emotional or narrative context. As a result, they lead to mental fatigue and disengagement. They are not simply “forgotten,” but actively rejected by the brain as inefficient to process. When information is presented as dry facts, the brain must work harder to create context, connect ideas, and assign meaning. That requires mental energy that, in an overstimulated environment, people are reluctant to spend.

Moreover, dry facts lack emotional resonance and a sense of humanity. This is critically important for building trust—especially in marketing, where customers look for a human connection with a brand. Without that “human” element, information feels impersonal and is unlikely to inspire loyalty.

By nature, dry facts are objective and impersonal. They don’t convey values, emotions, or the “soul” of a brand or idea. Without this emotional and value-driven layer, the audience doesn’t feel a personal connection—which is the foundation of trust and loyalty. This explains why even the most compelling facts can be ignored if they’re not humanized through narrative.

The Psychology of Perception: Why Images and Metaphors Win

Emotional Connection

Metaphors play a crucial role in forming emotional connections, allowing new information to be absorbed in the safest way possible. This is because they engage the limbic brain, which processes information on an emotional level. The primary function of the unconscious mind is to ensure our safety, and metaphors offer one of the safest ways to internalize unfamiliar information. Information we’ve seen or heard before is perceived as friendly. Metaphors trigger an inner resonance, making the information feel less foreign and more open to discussion.

The emotional world is richer than the cognitive one, and emotions must be experienced to feel well. Metaphorical works enable us to process feelings through projecting our own emotions onto characters, which ultimately strengthens us. Emotionally colored information is memorized first and better.

The emotions evoked by images and metaphors act as powerful “anchors” in long-term memory. They not only enhance recall but create stronger and more accessible memories that are easier to retrieve over time. An emotion evoked by a metaphor is not a by-product—it actively encodes the information into memory. When we recall the emotion, we also recall the associated fact or idea. This creates an “emotional anchor” that makes information more durable and easier to retrieve, unlike dry, emotionless data that lacks such a hook.

Metaphors also help bypass rational resistance and critical thinking, engaging the subconscious and emotional levels of perception. This is especially valuable when presenting new or potentially controversial information, as it is received in a “safe” way. Metaphors act like a Trojan horse for new ideas. Instead of triggering logical scrutiny and resistance, information wrapped in metaphor slips through emotional channels, where it’s perceived as less threatening and more acceptable. This allows metaphors to subtly influence beliefs and attitudes—even those that are limiting.

Simplifying Complex Ideas

Metaphors serve as a bridge between reality and imagination, transforming mundane expressions into art and helping us better understand and feel the world. They simplify complex ideas, making them more accessible to a broader audience. For example, expressions like “life is a journey” or “a weight off my shoulders” instantly make abstract concepts relatable. Metaphors draw on our experiences to help us grasp intangible ideas. They also make requests or explanations more persuasive and easier to understand.

Metaphors allow the brain to reuse existing, well-established cognitive schemas (e.g., for physical objects or actions) to make sense of new, abstract concepts. This greatly reduces cognitive load, making complex ideas easier to process and remember than literal explanations. Instead of building a new cognitive framework from scratch, a metaphor transfers understanding from a familiar source domain (like “a journey”) to an abstract target domain (“life”). The brain doesn’t expend energy constructing a new concept—it simply activates existing neural connections related to the journey and applies them to life. This is a form of cognitive economy, enabling quicker and more efficient learning.

Metaphors don’t just simplify—they ignite the imagination, encouraging deeper engagement and integration of information. This turns passive consumption into an active co-creative process. When imagination is engaged, the brain actively builds mental imagery and scenarios, reinforcing neural pathways and making the information more vivid, multi-dimensional, and thus easier to remember and retrieve. This goes beyond simplification and transforms learning into a dynamic and interactive experience.

Memory and Trust

Stories serve as “wrappers” for facts, helping readers absorb information more naturally. The brain operates on the principle of association, and stories use this mechanism, making them easier to understand and remember.

Storytelling helps brands build emotional connection and trust with their audience. Authentic stories—especially those rooted in real customer experiences or even failures—enhance credibility. Persuasion influences not only the mind but the heart. Narrative psychology helps us make sense of reality and form more productive “stories” about ourselves and the world.

Trust built through storytelling is not just a rational choice; it’s deeply rooted in emotional connection and perceived authenticity. Failure stories (crisis storytelling) can paradoxically increase trust, revealing vulnerability and humanity. This creates a deeper, more lasting trust than merely showcasing success stories. When a brand or storyteller shares a narrative—especially one involving vulnerability or overcoming hardship—it triggers empathy and a sense of shared experience in the listener. The brain interprets this as a sign of authenticity and reliability, whereas “perfect” facts can spark skepticism.

This trust mechanism, rooted in emotional openness, is stronger than trust based purely on logic or achievements. Stories not only persuade—they can help reshape limiting beliefs, as they give form to our experiences and memories. Beliefs are not static “facts” stored in the brain; they are more like stories we tell ourselves about the world. When these stories become limiting, logical arguments often fail to change them. But a new, compelling story filled with imagery and metaphor can offer an alternative narrative that the brain is more likely to accept—because it engages emotional and associative processes, allowing us to “rewrite” our internal experience.

Empathy and Understanding

Through art, including literature, people can immerse themselves in another person’s reality, feel and understand their emotions and experiences. Narrative increases the persuasive power of the subject of empathy, helps overcome the psychological defenses of others, expands our understanding of different lives, and enriches our own emotional experience. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

Developing the ability to identify with the object of empathy leads to a deeper awareness of another person’s needs. Genuine compassion breaks down the dualistic barrier between self and others. When people are immersed in a story, their brains actively simulate the characters’ experiences. This is not just imagination—it is the activation of the same neural networks that would be engaged if they were living through it themselves. This “mental simulation” is the basis of empathy, allowing us to “feel what another feels, as if we were in their place.”

Regular consumption of stories rich in imagery and metaphor can act as “training” for empathic abilities. It increases our emotional flexibility and receptiveness, helping us better understand both ourselves and others. Stories—especially those that immerse us in someone else’s experience—serve as a form of “communication with other cultures” or self-reflection through the lens of characters. Frequent “practice” in empathy through storytelling may even lead to structural and functional changes in the brain, enhancing real-life empathic responses.

Neurobiological Foundations

All incoming information through the five senses becomes the source of our thoughts and mental images. The brain has innate systems for recognizing faces, movement, spatial orientation, auditory patterns, and language, which support visual perception and environmental adaptation.

The brain consists of billions of neurons forming circuits and networks. Signals from receptors interact with previous signals, continuously altering the system’s state. In metaphors, sensory input plays a crucial role—making metaphors fundamentally different from logical constructions, though they possess an internal logic of their own structure.

The Default Mode Network (DMN) of the brain is responsible for creating the “mental narrative of the self” based on past experiences. Narratives shape our memories and lived experience. Art—and, by extension, narrative—helps us become aware of and process our emotions, contributing to emotional balance. Meditation, which engages the DMN, has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve focus.

Narratives and imagery activate not only language centers, but also sensory and motor areas of the brain, creating a kind of “simulation” of events. This explains why we “immerse” in stories and why they feel real. The brain doesn’t just process information—it experiences it. For example, when reading a phrase like “the sea was raging,” the brain doesn’t simply recognize the words—it activates regions responsible for visual motion perception, the sound of waves, and even kinesthetic sensations. This creates a multi-dimensional, vivid internal experience, unlike dry facts that may only stimulate logical centers.

It’s like a “theater of the mind” where images and metaphors are the main actors. Narratives help integrate our physical self (which perceives the world) with our mental self (which constructs a narrative based on experience). This integration is key to self-understanding, emotional regulation, and meaning-making.

Dry facts typically appeal only to the logical self, while stories enriched with imagery and metaphor engage both. They allow us not only to know something but to understand how it fits into our personal world and lived experience. This integration makes information more meaningful, personally relevant, and thus more influential on our thinking and behavior.

Practical Examples: Where Figurative Language Works Wonders

In Literature

Literature is the original home of figurative language, where metaphors and vivid imagery are used to deeply convey ideas, create rich scenes, and develop characters. For example, in “The Forest Song” by Lesya Ukrainka, the images of Mavka and Lukash; the summer field in Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky’s “Intermezzo”; or the spinning wheel in Nechuy-Levytsky’s “The Kaidash Family”—all are concrete visuals conveying universal meaning through the particular.

Metaphors like “a black soul” for a deceitful person, “the sea is raging” for a storm, “eternal sleep” for death, “heavenly fireflies” for stars, “snow in the hair” for grayness, or “golden heart” and “golden hands” bring the text to life and make it more expressive.

In Public Speaking

Figurative language is a powerful tool in public speaking, enabling speakers to evoke emotion and simplify complex political or social ideas. Winston Churchill’s speeches are famous for their metaphors, like calling the nation a “structure”, enhancing the persuasive force of his messages.

One of the most vivid examples is Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He skillfully used extended metaphors like “carving a stone of hope from a mountain of despair” and “transforming the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” The repeated phrase “Let freedom ring…” painted a powerful image that resonated with his audience. Such metaphors not only clarified abstract concepts but strengthened emotional connection and boosted persuasive impact.

In Marketing and Advertising

In modern marketing, dry advertising no longer works; customers seek emotion, values, and connection with the brand. Storytelling and figurative language have become essential tools for building trust and loyalty.

Brands share founder stories (like Apple’s humble garage beginnings). Metaphorical slogans such as “clothing for your feet” (for tights) or “Mom’s stress boils away with the sausage” create vivid, memorable associations.

Award-winning ad campaigns, like Dove’s “Real Beauty”, used authentic, unretouched images of real women, emphasizing inner beauty and strengthening brand trust. Tide’s “It’s a Tide Ad” cleverly used metaphor to highlight product value. The rhyme and metaphor in Prom.ua’s slogan “Top sellers — tiny prices” increased recognition. Even famous global slogans like “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands” (M&M’s) or “It gives you wiiings!” (Red Bull) use figurative language for better recall and emotional impact.

Using testimonials, reviews, and customer stories also fosters trust and reliability, serving as a form of social proof.

The analysis reveals that images and metaphors are not just stylistic decorations—they are foundational tools of effective communication. They outperform dry facts by creating emotional connection, simplifying complexity, enhancing memory, building trust, and evoking empathy. These effects are rooted in the neurobiological structure of how the brain processes information—naturally gravitating toward narrative structure and sensory-rich experience.