So I decided to dig into psychological symbols after getting totally confused watching some fancy TED talk. These experts kept throwing around shapes like triangles and spirals like they meant something deep, but honestly? I was lost. Started with baby steps just staring at common symbols during my subway commute.
The Wake-Up Call
One Tuesday, I literally tripped over a spiral painted on a sidewalk mural. Bruised my knee but noticed how my eyes kept circling that damn spiral. Made me realize symbols hook us without words – they’re sneaky like that. Grabbed my sketchpad that night and drew every symbol I remembered seeing that day.
Kitchen Table Experiments
Didn’t buy fancy books or courses. Just tested symbols on people I knew:
- Showed my neighbor three circles. She immediately said “eternity” while chewing gum
- Made my nephew stack triangles. Kid built a “superpower mountain” without hesitation
- Drew arrows on coffee shop napkins – watched how people folded them toward themselves
Mind-blowing takeaway: Our brains assign meaning BEFORE we consciously think.
Sticky Note Breakthrough
Covered my bathroom mirror with symbols for two weeks. That upward arrow? Every morning it made me stand straighter without trying. The sun symbol unconsciously had me opening blinds wider. Proof this stuff changes tiny behaviors if you live with it daily.
Now Here’s the Real Deal
Don’t overcomplicate it like those psychology snobs. Symbols work because our lazy brains love shortcuts. See a pyramid? Instantly think “stable”. Spiral? “Journey”. Took me spilling coffee on ancient symbol charts to realize they’re just visual triggers.
Final lightbulb moment: Symbols are power tools when you stop thinking about them and start noticing how they make you feel.