A feeling of emotional ease, freedom from heaviness or burden. The quality of being carefree, untroubled, or having a sense of relief from worry or stress.
From Old English leoht meaning 'not heavy,' with the emotional sense developing alongside the physical meaning. The metaphorical use reflects how emotions can feel physically heavy or light, with psychological burdens literally affecting our sense of bodily weight.
Neurological research shows that the metaphor of emotional 'lightness' has biological reality - when we feel psychologically unburdened, our brain's perception of physical weight actually decreases. This explains why emotional relief can make us feel like we're 'walking on air' or have 'a weight lifted off our shoulders.'
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