Mortality Salience Research Articles

Managing the terror of publication bias: A systematic review of the mortality salience hypothesis.

We assessed the evidential value of the large literature (k = 643-825 studies) investigating the mortality salience (MS) hypothesis from terror management theory, employing a multitool assessment approach. First, we reviewed and evaluated recent efforts to replicate past experiments testing the MS hypothesis, summarizing the conflicting evidence and arguments to the evidential value of the MS literature. Next, we performed a random effects meta-analysis on the MS literature using multiple bias-correction meta-analytic techniques, including selection models, precision-effect test and precision-effect estimate with standard errors, weighted average of adequately powered studies and weighted least square, as well as the more recently developed p-curve and z-curve. Overall, the different meta-analytic tools often pointed to conflicting conclusions, reflecting methodological and philosophical differences among these tools. A synthesis of our findings suggests there are nonzero effects underlying some studies of the MS hypothesis, although the effects are highly heterogeneous, most studies are underpowered, and many individual effects may be spurious. We recommend future replications to assume a smaller effect size (r = .18) and to strictly follow expert guidance in the experimental protocol. Given the conflicting findings that emerged, we suggest future attempts to evaluate other literature would benefit from a multitool assessment approach. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding psychosocial wellbeing and concern for death and dying: Insights from a psycho-oncology clinic.

11105 Background: Patients with cancer face burden of mental health symptoms and an ongoing concern for death and dying. The psycho-oncology clinic aims to address these concerns by integrating mental health services into cancer care. This study evaluates key domains of psychosocial health and their relationship with mortality salience. Methods: Data from 60 patients treated at a psycho-oncology clinic were analyzed. Demographics, cancer site, disease stage (localized vs. metastatic), treatment status, and psychiatric diagnoses were collected. Outcomes were assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Short Forms, including measures of Emotional Distress (Anxiety, Depression, Social Isolation), Meaning and Purpose, Psychosocial Illness Impact (Negative and Positive), and Concern for Death and Dying. Descriptive and univariate regression analyses explored cohort trends. Results: Among the 60 patients, the mean age was 63 years (SD=14.8), with 52.2% identifying as female, 45.5% as male, and 2.3% as non-binary. The most common primary cancer sites were lung (20.5%), breast (18.2%), and multiple myeloma (9.1%). Of the patients, 61.4% had localized disease, while 38.6% had metastatic disease. A significant proportion (79.6%) were undergoing active treatment. Calculated t-scores demonstrate that concern for death and dying was more than two standard deviations above the population mean while meaning and purpose was lower. Metastatic disease, higher levels of anxiety, depression, negative psychosocial illness impact, and a lower sense of meaning and purpose were all associated with greater concern for death and dying. Conclusions: This study highlights the high prevalence of concern for death and dying in patients who are referred to a psychosocial oncology clinic and its association with key psychological variables for which there are standard treatments. PROMIS measures offer valuable insights, underscoring the importance of comprehensive psychosocial assessments. Tailored interventions targeting emotional distress, meaning, and end-of-life concerns may improve patient outcomes. Variables Mean (SD) Calculated t-score* [SE] Regression Death & Dying Concern 25.2 (8.5) 71 [3.5] 95% CI p-value Age 63 (14.8) - (-0.1-0.22) .48 Localized vs Metastatic - - (2.0-11.3) .006 Anxiety 20.5 (6.7) 58.4 [2.0] (0.31-0.91) <.001 Depression 17.0 (7.3) 54.5 [3.1] (0.31-0.84) <.001 Meaning & Purpose 27.8 (7.6) 44.6 [2.9] (-0.64—0.1) .008 Negative Illness Impact 16.3 (5.6) 66.4 [2.9] (0.21-0.93) .003 Positive Illness Impact 35.6 (9.0) 50.5 [3.2] (-0.16-0.06) .14 Social Isolation 16.5 (6.6) 50.0 [1.8] (-0.16-0.5) .3 *Population t-score = 50.0 (10.0).

The interaction effects of mortality salience and power distance belief on luxury hotel booking intention

The interaction effects of mortality salience and power distance belief on luxury hotel booking intention

Childhood poverty and its impact on financial decision making under threat: A preregistered replication of Griskevicius et al. (2011b).

We investigated the influence of childhood poverty on financial decision making under threat by replicating the findings of Griskevicius et al. (2011b), which found that individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds tend to make riskier financial decisions and prefer immediate over delayed gratification when exposed to mortality cues. Following an extension of life history theory to individual behaviors, the original research argued that these behaviors reflect a faster and riskier strategy to cope with survival threats. In a preregistered replication using the same procedures and instruments as the original study, we tested this hypothesis with a sample size 14.2 times larger than the original (1,010 vs. 71). We replicated the effect of mortality salience on risk-taking for people who experienced childhood poverty but with a substantially smaller effect size (η² = 0.004 vs. η² = 0.17 in the original). We failed to find any effect on time preferences in contrast to the original study's medium effect size (η² = 0.046). Although our findings partially support the results of Griskevicius et al. (2011b) on poverty and financial decision making, the drastically reduced effect sizes challenge the practical significance of these findings. Our replication results underscore the importance of large sample studies in understanding the effects of childhood socioeconomic status on future life decisions. They also suggest that frameworks beyond life history theory may be needed to reliably capture such relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The threat of COVID-19 will influence consumers’ taste compensation

This study examined how taste compensation is affected by mortality salience and its mechanisms during the pandemic. It conducted four studies and confirmed that mortality salience can cause consumers to seek stronger taste compensation, and the mediating role of compensation motivation. Additionally, low self-efficacy leads consumers to rely more on external compensation, as the impact of mortality salience upon compensating motivation can be negatively moderated by self-efficacy. This study identified new antecedents of F&B taste that add to the literature on compensatory consumption and pandemic research. It also helps hospitality managers and marketers to better understand consumers’ dietary preferences and modify their business strategies accordingly during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Collapse and validation of terror management anxiety buffers –therapists’ reactions to war

This qualitative study aimed to analyze therapists’ reactions to the Israel-Hamas war, using lenses offered by Terror Management Theory (TMT). Israeli therapists (N = 201) were asked to share their experiences, feelings and perceptions in light of the events and their recent professional interventions. Findings reveal four themes: first, showing that the war indeed raised existential anxiety and mortality salience, and then, in view of these, the functioning of the TMT anxiety buffer mechanisms in additional three themes, namely enhancement of self-esteem; reinforcement of collective worldviews; and seeking proximity to others. Interestingly, we observed both the collapse of these mechanisms after exposure to the salience of death, as well as their validation as a further reaction. Moreover, we identified breakdown and validation in both personal and professional elements of the anxiety buffer mechanisms, offering an extended conceptualization of TMT as relevant to therapists’ reactions to a real-world exposure to death.

Enhancing effectiveness of public service advertisements: the role of mortality salience and negative message framing

PurposeThis research addresses a gap in the literature that encourages more inquiries to enhance the effectiveness of negative public service advertisements (PSAs).Design/methodology/approachThe research engages two laboratory experiments (N = 179 and N = 219) and a field study (N = 216) to test our hypotheses.FindingsUnder mortality salience, negatively (vs positively) framed messages were found to be more effective in encouraging positive health compliant behaviours (follow covid safety rules, flu vaccination intention) and this effect was mediated by message effectiveness.Practical implicationsPolicy makers at various levels (local, state and federal government) should consider the strategies discussed in this study to make PSAs more effective.Originality/valueThe current study makes significant original contributions to theories of PSAs and negative framing.

COGNITIVE ARCHITECTURES OF RITUAL LAMENTATION: ANALYZING ZORILE SONGS USING IMAGE SCHEMAS

The current study analyzes the process by which individuals psychologically, socially, and culturally process the phenomenon of death through the analysis of the ritualistic “Songs of Dawn” (Zorile). In this research, the focus was on Image Schemas, cognitive and social processing, and the interactions of elements from Terror Management Theory (mortality salience, self-esteem, and cultural worldviews). The research encompassed four variants of the “Outdoor Dawn Songs” (Zorile de afară) present in the work Cântecul zorilor și bradului (Kahane & Georgescu-Stănculeanu, 1988), collected between 1934 and 1950, utilizing a Corpus Linguistics methodology in RStudio. In the analysis, the schemas CONTAINMENT, PATH, FORCE, VERTICALITY, BALANCE, and CENTER-PERIPHERY were identified and quantified, as were the dimensions of TMT and social relations. The results revealed a predominance of the CONTAINMENT schema (M = 5.75, SD = 2.22), denoting a constant preoccupation with the existential space of the deceased. The analysis of social relations revealed the dominance of the Family category (52.94%) compared to the Spiritual dimension (17.65%). A non-uniform distribution of the schemas was also observed (χ² = 36.2, p .001), as well as a decrease in scores after 1939, possibly influenced by the socio-historical context of the onset of World War II. Cognitive processes highlighted the predominance of causality (35.14%), thus indicating a focus on understanding and rationalizing death within the traditional community. The present study contributes to understanding how traditional communities process and integrate the experience of death through ritualistic practices, emphasizing the importance of the cognitive and social dimensions in managing grief through the development of a collective imaginary.

The Impact of Acculturation and Religiosity on Cultural Alignment: Terror Management Mechanisms among Muslim Americans

The current investigation examined terror management defenses employed by Muslim Americans and moderating effects of acculturation and religiosity. Associations between death salience and worldview defense were predicted to vary according to acculturation and religious commitment. Study 1 measured acculturation and reactions to traditional or modern Muslim targets. Study 2 assessed religiosity and acculturation effects on reactions to a worldview-threatening essay. Against expectations, heightened mortality salience did not result in the typical increase in worldview defense, nor was there a moderating effect of acculturation or religiosity. Furthermore, the relationship between mortality salience and worldview defense was not moderated by acculturation or religiosity. Thus, when confronted with existential threats, Muslim Americans may not separate their religious and secular worldviews to defend against mortality concerns. Although the pattern of results was unexpected, this study provides novel information suggesting that Muslim Americans may handle mortality salience in ways not yet revealed by previous TMT studies.

Terror Management Theory in the Consumer Domain: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis on Mortality Salience Driven Consumer Responses

ABSTRACTA systematic review and meta‐analysis were conducted to examine terror management theory (TMT) in the consumer behavior domain. TMT postulates that existential anxiety (i.e., mortality salience) drives people to invest in anxiety buffers, affecting many different behaviors, including consumer responses. Due to the broad nature of these responses, we distinguished three categories: “I want more” (e.g., more money, brands, and products), “protect my culture” (e.g., preferring domestic and old products to foreign and new ones), and “pro‐social” responses (e.g., donating or sharing money). One hundred and twelve experiments were included in the systematic review, which revealed a large variety in the studied dependent variables, randomly studied moderating variables, and inconsistent outcomes. Seventy studies (with 125 effect sizes) were included in the meta‐analysis, which yielded a small but positive overall effect size (g = 0.21) of mortality salience on consumer responses, with similar results across the three categories (g between 0.13 and 0.30). While research in the TMT consumer domain is very dispersed, the analyses provide some support for the mortality salience hypothesis. We recommend researchers to further explore why certain consumer responses are evoked by mortality salience and make use of preregistered and high‐powered experiments.

Apocalypse now: Thoughts about human extinction under mortality salience increase death-thought accessibility but reduce worldview defense

Various threats (e.g., climate change, nuclear wars, pandemics) pose the risk of human extinction. This represents a threat to human cultures and should result in effects similar to mortality salience (MS). At the same time, thoughts about human extinction reduce the belief in a long-lasting culture. This conflicts with the striving for symbolic immortality as a strategy to buffer MS. To investigate how thoughts about human extinction affect terror management, participants were presented with either an apocalyptic, destructive, or neutral video in combination with a manipulation of MS. Participants reported highest death-thought accessibility when watching the apocalyptic video under MS. However, worldview defense was decreased after watching the apocalyptic video under MS. These findings point to a dissociation between proximal and distal defense mechanisms: Thoughts about human extinction increase proximal defenses under MS, but they undermine the strive for symbolic immortality by worldview defense as distal defenses.

When death is a wedding night: a comparison of Sufi, mainstream Muslim, and atheist reactions to mortality salience

The primary purpose of this study was to test the main claims of terror management theory through an alternative cultural worldview by focusing on Sufism, in which death is seen as a desired state for meeting God (Vuslat). Sufism is a mystical and spiritual dimension of Islam, emphasizing the inner search for a direct experience of the Divine through practices such as meditation, devotion, and worship. For this purpose, data were collected from a total of 181 participants, 60 of whom were mainstream Muslims, 60 of whom were atheists, and 61 of whom were Sufis. According to the results of a 2 (condition: mortality salience [MS] vs. dental pain) × 3 (groups: mainstream Muslim, Sufi, atheist) between-subject ANCOVA, MS led to an increase in the level of worldview defense in mainstream Muslims. However, while the level of worldview defense remained unchanged in atheists, it decreased in Sufis after MS. Additionally, in-group identification significantly moderated the effect of MS on worldview defense for mainstream Muslims and atheists; no significant moderation was observed for Sufis. A content analysis of the answers of the participants after MS revealed that positive emotions were more common in Sufis’ answers, whereas negative emotions in mainstream Muslims and no emotions in atheists dominated the answers. Sufism, in which the emotional and behavioral dimensions of religiosity predominate, seemed to buffer the sense of terror. The findings highlight the importance of focusing on different religious and cultural lifestyles, such as Sufism, when studying the management of terror.

Implications of the Death-Thought-Suppression-and-Rebound Assumption: Integrating the Findings of Rife et al. (2025) and Trafimow and Hughes (2012)

Researchers on terror-management theory (TMT) often obtain effects on dependent variables, such as worldview assertion, after a delay following mortality salience (contemplating death) but not immediately. As justification, TMT researchers invoked a post hoc assumption: Death thoughts are immediately suppressed following mortality salience but rebound after a delay. In contradiction, Trafimow and Hughes and Rife et al. found that death thoughts are more accessible immediately following mortality salience than after a delay. The contradiction is so problematic that ignoring it trends toward degenerative science. TMT research might exemplify a larger problem in psychology.

Registered Replication Report: Study 3 From Trafimow and Hughes (2012)

Terror-management theory (TMT) proposes that when people are made aware of their own death, they are more likely to endorse cultural values. TMT is a staple of social psychology, featured prominently in textbooks and the subject of much research. The implications associated with TMT are significant because its advocates claim it can partially explain cultural conflicts, intergroup antagonisms, and even war. However, considerable ambiguity regarding effect size exists, and no preregistered replication of death-thought-accessibility findings exists. Moreover, there is debate regarding the role of time delay between the manipulation of mortality salience and assessment of key measures. We present results from 22 labs in 11 countries (total N = 3,447) attempting to replicate and extend an existing study of TMT, Study 3 from Trafimow and Hughes, and the role of time-delay effects. We successfully replicate Trafimow and Hughes and demonstrate that it is possible to prime death-related thoughts and that priming is more effective when there is no delay between the priming and outcome measure. Implications for future research and TMT are discussed.

Multilab Replications Provide Theoretical and Methodological Insight but Not Necessarily About the Studies They Seek to Replicate: Comment on Rife et al. (2025)

Rife et al. conducted a multilab replication of Trafimow and Hughes (Experiment 3) to examine whether mortality salience produces higher death-thought accessibility immediately after imagining one’s own death or after a time delay. Like Trafimow and Huges, Rife et al. found that thinking about death without delay produced higher death-thought accessibility than when thinking about death with delay or thinking about dental pain. This pattern occurred regardless of whether participants were randomly assigned the original Trafimow and Hughes word-generation death-thought-accessibility measure or assigned a word-fragment death-thought-accessibility measure more commonly used in the literature. However, we argue that regardless of whether multilab replications produce results consistent with the original replicated study, they offer weak insight into the integrity and empirical plausibility of the original study. Instead, multilab replications provide valuable theoretical and methodological information regarding the span of effect created by the procedural elements shared among the set of replication studies. This information, in turn, permits clearer theoretical inference when using similar procedural elements to investigate theoretically related phenomena. Moreover, multilab replications are often conceived as a defense against false-positive empirical results and theoretical interpretations, but Rife et al.’s results reveal they may be better suited for protecting against false-negative empirical results and theoretical interpretations.

Mortality salience and helping intentions: mediating role of search for meaning and moderating role of negotiable fate.

This study explores the "altruism born of suffering" hypothesis, which suggests that adversity motivates individuals to help others, potentially mediated by their search for meaning. Grounded in terror management theory, it investigates how mortality salience influences helping intentions and examines the moderating role of negotiable fate, a key destiny view in Chinese culture. Compared to conquering fate and fatalism, negotiable fate is hypothesized to enhance helping intentions when mortality is salient. Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 tested the mediating role of search for meaning in the relationship between mortality salience and helping intentions. Study 2 examined whether negotiable fate beliefs moderate this relationship, specifically strengthening the effect of mortality salience on helping intentions. Study 1 found that mortality salience positively predicts helping intentions, fully mediated by search for meaning. Study 2 showed that negotiable fate moderates this relationship, with mortality salience significantly enhancing helping intentions when negotiable fate is salient. These findings highlight the role of negotiable fate in shaping prosocial behavior under mortality reminders. The results emphasize the importance of fostering search for meaning and negotiable fate beliefs to promote helping intentions when mortality is salient. This research advances understanding of how cultural beliefs and existential concerns interact to drive altruistic behavior, suggesting practical interventions to encourage prosocial actions in mortality-salient contexts.

The impact of mortality salience and explicit self-esteem on plastic reduction intention: A moderated mediation model.

Mortality salience (MS) and self-esteem affect attitudes and behavioral intentions in various contexts, including pro-environment behavioral intentions. This study aimed to explore how MS and explicit self-esteem impact on attitude towards plastic reduction for future generations (APRFG) and intention to reduce plastic use, by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Terror Management Theory (TMT). An experimental design was employed, with 357 participants aged 20 to 70 recruited via an online platform. The participants were randomly assigned to either an MS condition, or a control condition and then measured their explicit self-esteem by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Subsequently, the experimental group was exposed to information on the fatal health risks associated with microplastics, while the control group was reminded of their own experiences of dental pain. After a few minutes, all participants were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire, including APRFG, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention to reduce plastic use. Data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro to examine mediation and moderation effects. Our findings showed that MS significantly enhanced APRFG, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which in turn led to stronger intention to reduce plastic use. Among these three factors, the mediating effect of APRFG was the most pronounced, highlighting its central role in linking MS to plastic reduction intention. MS, when combined with explicit self-esteem, significantly influences APRFG and intention to reduce plastic use. The relationships between MS and APRFG/plastic reduction intention were particularly pronounced among the participants with lower explicit self-esteem. Policymakers can leverage these insights to craft marketing messages that enhance plastic-reduction efforts, taking into account individual differences in explicit self-esteem.

Disentangling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests on implicit anti-Black bias.

Disentangling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests on implicit anti-Black bias.

죽음현저성이 온라인 포털 뉴스 이용에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 불확실성의 매개효과와 감염 경험의 조절효과를 중심으로

죽음현저성이 온라인 포털 뉴스 이용에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구: 불확실성의 매개효과와 감염 경험의 조절효과를 중심으로

Mortality Salience and the Treatment of the Dead in Messenia, from the Middle Helladic to the Late Helladic Period

Abstract Behavioural studies suggest that awareness of one's mortality, known as mortality salience, enhances the inclination to respond positively to prevailing societal values, fostering an adherence to social practices, for example, the treatment of the dead. Nevertheless, when acceptance of these societal values wanes, there is an increased motivation for their modification. This results in a series of subtle changes that eventually reshape the entire set of practices that define a community's social identity. This paper delves into the impact of mortality salience on the emergence, maintenance, and evolution of mortuary practices in south and west Messenia during the Middle Helladic and Late Helladic periods (c. 2050/2000 bce to 1200/1190 bce). This analysis explores how individuals addressed their mortality salience by adjusting their proximal (e.g. practices) and distal (e.g. ideology) defences. Moreover, it incorporates the notion of the ‘taming of the terror’, suggesting that individuals may adopt new practices as a strategy to manage or alleviate the fear associated with mortality. The analysis explores the introduction of new practices, providing valuable insights into how people navigate and comprehend the existential challenges brought about by the recognition of their mortality.