People who built things for a living usually see the world differently from people who worked behind a desk, and psychology says the difference matters more than you'd think - Silicon Canals

"Growing up, I watched my father navigate corporate life for three decades. He'd come home with stories about strategy meetings, quarterly projections, and office politics. Meanwhile, my friend's dad, who worked construction, would talk about the house he'd just finished framing or the problem he'd solved with a tricky foundation. At the time, I didn't think much about how differently they experienced their workdays."

"When you spend your days building, fixing, or creating physical things, you develop what psychologists call "embodied cognition." Your brain literally processes information differently because you're constantly engaging with the physical world. A carpenter doesn't just think about whether something will work; they can see it, touch it, test it immediately. Office workers, on the other hand, often deal in abstractions. Reports, projections, strategies. The results of our work might not be visible for months or even years."

An upbringing that contrasted a father's corporate career with another's construction work reveals how daily tasks shape cognition and worldview. Psychology research shows that hands-on labor produces embodied cognition, different problem-solving strategies, and distinct stress responses compared with office environments. Tangible work yields immediate sensory feedback and clear cause-effect links; abstract office work relies on projections, reports, and delayed outcomes. These cognitive differences influence relationships, definitions of success, and approaches to problems. Recognizing diverse work experiences prevents office-centric assumptions and encourages consideration of how physical engagement with tasks molds thinking and behavior across industries.

Read at Silicon Canals