Anthropologists have found this somatic sense of propriety to be common across many different types of populations throughout recorded history. In the vertical axis of morality, we see up as generally good (flying high, heaven) and down as generally bad (falling, burial).

see also:

• God above, Hell below
• “high” is feeling great, “low” is feeling bad
• feeling “up” is good; feeling “down” is bad
• “depression” implies a lowered state
• a morally compromised act is a “lowly” act
• gravity is “easy” and pulls down
• “rising above” takes effort
• vantage points: higher is better
• “sky’s the limit”
• you want a graph that goes “up and to the right”
• graves are in the ground; Heaven is in the sky
• Buddhist Ten Worlds – Four Evil Paths are LOWER
• Maslowe’s hierarchy
• up is escape, freedom; below is crushing pressure, death
• up is airy and light; down is oppressive and dark
• things are looking up = things are getting better
• climb every mountain
• down in the dumps
• feeling low
• bottom of the barrel
• 6 feet under