The role of death-related advertisements in cell phone use while driving.

Approximately 25% of accidents in the United States are caused by texting while driving, prompting the creation of several media campaigns to reduce such risky behavior. The current research examined whether death-related advertisements increase cell phone use while driving. Studies 1-3 found that individuals engaged in greater distracted driving in the presence of a mortality-themed texting advertisement. Study 2 demonstrated that participants were more likely to text on their cell phone using a driving simulator, leading to more swerving and collisions after viewing a death-related (vs. neutral) poster. Finally, using eye-tracking, Study 3 showed that participants who viewed a death advertisement looked away from the road and texted more as compared to persons in the control condition. Implications and future directions are discussed.

The past promotes the picture of health: Nostalgia as a resource for physical well-being.

Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, confers an array of psychological, emotional, and social benefits. This review article discusses emerging evidence that exemplify how nostalgia also contributes to better physical health. Nostalgia's capacity for health promotion is highlighted in relation to five key areas: (a) nurturing positive health attitudes, (b) increasing physical activity, (c) improving dietary choices, (d) reducing health risk behavior, and (e) attenuating physical pain. These recent developments demonstrate that nostalgia serves as a resource to enhance multiple dimensions of physical well-being. Suggestions for future research on the nostalgia-physical health relationship include identifying additional mechanisms, extending the scope of its health benefits, and determining the efficacy of long-term health promotion.

Aloneliness predicts relational anger and aggression toward romantic partners.

Aloneliness is the negative psychological state characterized by dissatisfaction with one's lack of solitude, which is connected to well-being deficits (e.g., depression, stress). From an I3 theory perspective, we expected that aloneliness could predict anger and partner-directed aggression among persons in romantic relationships, who must, by nature of their partnership, dedicate time to their romantic partners. In Studies 1a and 1b (N = 554), trait aloneliness positively correlated with trait anger, aggression, and violence, but more strongly among persons in relationships (vs. single persons). In Study 2, aloneliness was experimentally primed among 93 undergraduates in relationships. When aloneliness was salient (vs. a control), participants reported higher anger and used more pins in a partner-representative voodoo doll. These results suggest that solitude is an inhibiting factor against anger and, potentially, the perpetration of partner-directed aggression. Although subsequent work in this area is needed, we add evidence showing the importance of individual differences in the need for solitude.

Existential isolation and well-being in justice-involved populations.

Much work in psychology has focused on feelings of social isolation and/or loneliness. Only recently have psychologists begun to explore the concept of existential isolation (EI). EI is the subjective sense that persons are alone in their experience and that others are unable to understand their perspective. EI thus occurs when people feel that they have a unique worldview unshared by others. Measured as either a state or trait, empirical studies have shown EI undermines life meaning and decreases well-being; people scoring high on EI report lower levels of need satisfaction, purpose in life, and meaningfulness and increased death-related concerns. There is also a positive correlation between EI and anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The purpose of this perspective paper is to review literature on EI and discuss its relevance to people who have been involved with the justice system. Given their higher rates of substance use, mental health difficulties, and trauma, this traditionally underserved population is particularly susceptible to compromised well-being. We theorize that EI may impede the impact of therapeutic interventions in justice settings as more isolated individuals may feel disjointed from their counselors and peers, thereby decreasing levels of treatment engagement, participation, satisfaction, and perceived social support. Professionals may be able to mitigate issues related to EI by an enhanced focus on establishing authenticity within the therapist-client relationship (e.g., empathy, perspective taking, compassion), connecting with clients via I-sharing [i.e., matching on a shared experience(s)], and/or encouraging active participation in client's behavioral healthcare needs (e.g., self-reflection).

Death Concerns, Benefit-Finding, and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reminders of death are particularly salient. Although much terror management theory research demonstrates that people engage in defensive tactics to manage mortality awareness, other work shows that existential concerns can motivate growth-oriented actions to improve health. The present study explored the associative link between coronavirus anxieties, fear of death, and participants' well-being. Results, using structural equation modeling, found that increased mortality concerns stemming from COVID-19 were associated with heightened benefit finding (e.g., relationship investment, gratefulness, patience) from the pandemic. Increased benefit finding, in turn, was related to higher life satisfaction, meaning in life, self-esteem, resilience, and vitality while also correlating negatively with depression and stress scores. There was no evidence for reverse mediation in that fear of mortality did not predict well-being through coronavirus worries. Overall, although many persons have experienced mental health concerns (e.g., fear, stress) as a function of the COVID-19 pandemic, our findings demonstrate positive benefits that paradoxically follow in terms of an increased appreciation of life, improved relationships, and better health.

Taking the Divinity from the Divine: The Interaction Between Death Concerns and Religiosity on the Evaluation of a Human Jesus.

Quest religiosity is characterized by an openness toward religious doubt and uncertainty as a way to grow existentially. The current paper examines how death awareness contributes to quest (vs low quest) Christians' reactions toward a Jesus depicted as doing biologically human actions (e.g., vomiting, bleeding). Study 1 evaluated quest persons' reactions to either a humanistic Christ or a neutral Jesus passage. Essay evaluations were examined in Study 2 as a function of quest and mortality salience. Study 3 measured death-thought accessibility following a creaturely Jesus prime for quest individuals. Participants who scored low on quest were more negative toward a creaturely, rather than neutral, Jesus. These effects were exaggerated following thoughts of death. Finally, low quest persons reported heightened death thoughts due to incarnational ambivalence. The implications are discussed.

Attenuating Pain With the Past: Nostalgia Reduces Physical Pain.

Previous work has found that nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, is associated with psychological, emotional, and social benefits. Recent research has demonstrated that nostalgic reflection also can improve individuals' physical health (i.e., exercise) and reduce temperature-related pain. Building on this, two experiments examined how nostalgia can reduce people's pain perceptions (i.e., reduced severity and increased tolerance). Specifically, Study 1 showed that inducing nostalgia through a writing task decreased perceived pain severity (i.e., intensity) among self-reported chronic pain sufferers. Study 2, in turn, demonstrated that Japanese individuals experienced increased pain tolerance (i.e., the maximum level of pain a person can tolerate) for a pressure algometer task following thoughts of nostalgia (vs. a control prime). This work provides evidence that nostalgic reflection may serve as a psychological resource to reduce the perceived severity of physical pain.

Ebola salience, death-thought accessibility, and worldview defense: A terror management theory perspective.

According to terror management theory, individuals defend their cultural beliefs following mortality salience. The current research examined whether naturally occurring instances of death (i.e., Ebola) correspond to results found in laboratory studies. The results of two experiments demonstrated that participants experienced a greater accessibility of death-related thoughts in response to an Ebola prime during a regional outbreak. Study 2 also showed that increased mortality awareness following an Ebola manipulation was associated with greater worldview defense (i.e., religious fundamentalism). Together, these results suggest that reminders of death in the form of a disease threat operate similarly to a mortality salience manipulation.

The existential cost of economic insecurity: Threatened financial security undercuts meaning.

Financial security (i.e., a person's sense that they can afford the things they need now and in the foreseeable future) contributes to psychological health and well-being. In the present research, we explored the implications of financial security for perceptions of meaning in life. In Study 1, we found that perceptions of financial insecurity predicted perceptions of meaning in life above and beyond income. Further, income only predicted perceptions of meaning to the extent that it was associated with reduced financial insecurity. In Studies 2 and 3, we found that financial security threats undermined perceptions of meaning in life. Taken together, these studies suggest that maintaining financial security is important for a sense of meaning in life.

An exercise in nostalgia: Nostalgia promotes health optimism and physical activity.

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has shown that nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, leads to greater feelings of optimism, with other work demonstrating that optimistic thinking (general & health-orientated) is associated with better physical and psychological health. Integrating these two lines of research, the current studies examined whether nostalgia-induced health optimism promotes attitudes and behaviours associated with better physical well-being. METHODS: Participants, in three experiments, were randomly assigned to write about either a nostalgic or ordinary event. Following this, everyone completed a measure of health optimism (Studies 1-3), measures of health attitudes (Study 2) and had their physical activity monitored over the course of 2 weeks (Study 3). RESULTS: The results revealed that, in comparison to control conditions, nostalgic reverie led to greater health optimism (Studies 1-3). Further, heightened health optimism following nostalgic reflection led to more positive health attitudes (Study 2), and increased physical activity over a two-week period (i.e. Fitbit activity trackers; Study 3). CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of nostalgia on health attitudes and behaviours. Specifically, this work suggests that nostalgia can be used as a mechanism to increase the importance, perceived efficacy and behaviour associated with better physical health.

Death concerns and psychological well-being in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

PURPOSE: Utilizing a terror management theory perspective, the present research examined whether having a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with underlying cognitions and explicit worries about death, and their roles in psychological well-being. METHOD: 147 mothers of children with ASD (n=74) and typically developing children (n=73) completed a fear of death scale, as well as measures of death-thought accessibility, positive and negative affect, depression, and anxiety. RESULTS: Following previous research, mothers of children with ASD reported worse psychological health. Additionally, they evidenced greater death-thought accessibility compared to mothers of typically developing children, but did not differ in explicit worries about mortality. Greater death-thought accessibility, in turn, mediated the influence of ASD diagnosis on negative affect, depression, and anxiety. CONCLUSION: The current study offers an initial understanding of the association between mortality concerns and psychological health for mothers of children with ASD. Further, it underscores the importance of health care providers' efforts to attend to, and educate parents about, their thoughts of mortality, even if the parent does not acknowledge such concerns. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: The present study examined the impact of both implicit and explicit worries about death in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, we were able to demonstrate that increased death-thought accessibility among mothers of children with ASD was associated with worse psychological health. While it is possible for parents of children with ASD to report conscious worries about death, there were no observed differences on this measure. As far as we know, this work is the first to empirically examine the prevalence of mortality-related concerns in this population and the subsequent effects of death-thought accessibility on psychological health. This is an important avenue of research as parents of children with ASD may experience greater worries about leaving their children upon death with no one to care for them, or to leave their children in the care of individuals who may not understand their son or daughter's unique needs. Additionally, the current findings highlight the importance of addressing mortality-related concerns, even when they may not be explicitly recognized, among parents of children with ASD. Given the effectiveness of parent education programs for children with ASD, a primary avenue for intervention may be education. Training care providers in ways to better discuss thoughts of death may help to alleviate stress and foster greater psychological well-being.

The relationship between alcohol cues, alcohol expectancies, and physical balance.

Although previous research has shown that beliefs about alcohol (expectancies) are associated with alcohol-consistent, nonconsumptive behavior (e.g., aggression; Friedman, McCarthy, Bartholow, & Hicks, 2007), no research has examined the effects of such expectancy on physical balance. The purpose of the current research was to test the association between alcohol cue exposure and feelings of imbalance. Study 1 showed that participants exhibited poorer balance in the presence of alcohol-related pictures compared to neutral (e.g., juice) or no pictures. Study 2 found that people exhibited a heightened accessibility of alcohol-related thoughts following a manipulation where they felt imbalanced (i.e., rocking on a wobble board) versus balanced. Study 3 showed that people with higher positive expectancies about alcohol reported a greater number of alcohol-related thoughts after they were made to feel imbalanced (vs. balanced). Implications of this research for alcohol expectancies, embodied cognition, and psychomotor functioning are further discussed.

The interactive effect of mortality reminders and tobacco craving on smoking topography.

OBJECTIVE: Although fatal consequences of smoking are often highlighted in health communications, the question of how awareness of death affects actual smoking behavior has yet to be addressed. Two experiments informed by the terror management health model were conducted to examine this issue. Previous research suggests that the effects of mortality reminders on health-related decisions are often moderated by relevant individual difference or situational variables. Thus, a moderated effect was hypothesized here, and cigarette cravings were tentatively explored in this regard. METHODS: In both studies, relatively light smokers completed a brief questionnaire about cigarette cravings, were reminded of their mortality or a control topic, and then smoked five puffs from a cigarette while the topography (i.e., volume, duration, and velocity) of their inhalations was recorded. RESULTS: Significant craving × death reminder interactions emerged in both experiments. After reminders of mortality, stronger cravings predicted greater smoking intensity. Further, reminders of mortality increased smoking intensity for those with stronger cravings in both studies, and there was also some indication that mortality reminders decreased smoking intensity for those with weaker cravings. CONCLUSIONS: Although there are limitations in the present research's utilization of light smokers as opposed to heavy smokers, these findings indicate a nuanced effect of mortality reminders on smoking intensity and suggest that careful consideration needs to be given to when and how reminders of death are used in communications about smoking. The discussion also highlights the benefits of social psychologically informed theory for understanding health and smoking behavior.

Stress, coping and cognitive deficits in women after surgery for breast cancer.

Research on neuropsychological difficulties among cancer patients has focused on chemotherapy as a primary cause, yet several studies have now shown that some patients evidence cognitive weaknesses prior to chemotherapy. As an alternative to the 'chemo-brain' theory, this study examined the hypothesis that stress and coping style may be associated with observed neuropsychological difficulties among female cancer patients. Thirty-six women completed neuropsychological testing and psychological questionnaires following surgery for breast cancer and prior to any subsequent treatments. Twenty-seven percent of participants evidenced deficits on at least one measure of verbal fluency, and 14% of participants were impaired on at least one memory measure. Self-reported stress was correlated with deficits in memory, verbal fluency, and attention. Subsequent mediational analyses indicated that use of passive coping styles may underlie this relationship between stress and neuropsychological deficits. These findings highlight the potential relevance of psychological mechanisms, such as coping style, in cancer patients' experience of neuropsychological deficits.

Considering the unspoken: the role of death cognition in quality of life among women with and without breast cancer.

This study examined how breast cancer diagnosis influences underlying cognitions and explicit worries about death, and their roles in health-related quality of life (QOL). Forty-two women who underwent surgery for the removal of either a cancerous or benign breast mass indicated their worries about dying and completed measures of death-thought accessibility and QOL. Women with cancer reported lowered physical, emotional, and functional well-being. Further, although they did not differ in explicit worry about death, women with cancer (compared to those with a benign mass) evidenced greater death-thought accessibility, which in turn mediated the effect of cancer diagnosis on well-being.

How sweet it is to be loved by you: the role of perceived regard in the terror management of close relationships.

Drawing from terror management theory, the present research examined whether people turn to close relationships to manage the awareness of mortality because they serve as a source of perceived regard. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that mortality salience (MS) leads people to exaggerate how positively their romantic partners see them and demonstrated that people are more committed to their partners to the extent that their romantic partners serve as a source of perceived regard after MS (Study 3). Study 4 revealed that activating thoughts of perceived regard from a partner in response to MS reduced death-thought accessibility. Studies 5 and 6 demonstrated that MS led high relationship contingent self-esteem individuals to exaggerate perceived regard from a partner, and this heightened regard led to greater commitment to one's partner. Study 7 examined attachment style differences and found that after MS, anxious individuals exaggerated how positively their parents see them, whereas secure individuals exaggerated how positively their romantic partners see them. Together, the present results suggest that perceptions of regard play an important role in why people pursue close relationships in the face of existential concerns.

Tai Chi effects on neuropsychological, emotional, and physical functioning following cancer treatment: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a 10-week Tai Chi (TC) program on neuropsychological, psychological, and physical health of female cancer survivors. DESIGN: Twenty-three women with a history of cancer participated in 60-min TC classes two times/week for 10-weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Before and after the intervention, participants completed neuropsychological tests (memory, executive functioning, language, and attention); 5 tests of balance; and self-report questionnaires of neuropsychological complaints, stress and mood, and fatigue. RESULTS: After the 10-week session, participants evidenced fewer neuropsychological complaints and enhanced neuropsychological functioning. They also demonstrated improved balance and reported better psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that TC may promote gains in neuropsychological functioning, in addition to previously demonstrated improvements in physical and psychological health. These findings support the need for controlled trials examining the potential benefits of TC on neuropsychological functioning after cancer.

Does rurality affect quality of life following treatment for breast cancer?

PURPOSE: The present research examined the extent to which rural residence and social support seeking are associated with quality of life (QOL) among breast cancer patients following chemotherapy. METHODS: Female breast cancer patients (n = 46) from communities of varying degrees of rurality in a Midwestern state completed psychological and QOL measures at 1-month postchemotherapy. Analyses assessed the relationships between QOL outcomes, rurality, and social support seeking. FINDINGS: Using age and education as covariates, regression analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which QOL was related to social support seeking and rural/urban residence. Analyses revealed that social support seeking was associated with lower scores on multiple indices of QOL, and it was associated with higher self-reported symptoms of depression. Several significant associations with rural/urban residence were noted as well. Specifically, increasing rurality, as defined by USDA Rural-Urban continuum codes, was associated with lower overall QOL, lower functional well-being, and increased complaints of breast cancer specific symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the relevance of continued efforts to address social support needs among women with a history of breast cancer living in rural and urban communities. They also suggest that individuals in more rural communities may be at risk for lowered QOL in the early period following cancer treatment. Future research is needed to replicate these results with larger and more diverse samples of rural and urban dwelling individuals, and to determine whether these effects may be attributed to identifiable characteristics of rural communities (eg, fewer cancer-related resources).

Bronze is beautiful but pale can be pretty: the effects of appearance standards and mortality salience on sun-tanning outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Using the terror management health model (J. L. Goldenberg & J. Arndt, 2008), the authors examined tanning outcomes as a function of priming tanning-relevant standards for attractiveness after reminders of death. DESIGN: Study 1 consisted of 101 female college students recruited from a midwestern university; Study 2 consisted of 53 female participants recruited from a beach in south Florida. In both experiments, participants answered questions about their mortality or a control topic, and were presented with a fashion article that highlighted either the attractiveness of tanned (just in Study 1), pale, or natural-looking skin. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported suntan intentions (Study 1) and sunscreen intentions (Study 2). Study 2 also assessed participants' interest in various sun protection products. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Study 1 demonstrated that mortality salience led to higher tanning intentions when the association between tanned skin and physical attractiveness was made salient and reduced intentions when the attractiveness of paler skin was highlighted. In Study 2, beachgoers, after reminders of death, reported greater preference for high sun protection sunscreen after reading an article about the attractiveness of paler skin tones. These findings contribute to an emerging understanding of how mortality concerns can influence health-related judgment and behavior.

Exploring the existential function of religion: the effect of religious fundamentalism and mortality salience on faith-based medical refusals.

Decisions to rely on religious faith over medical treatment for health conditions represent an important but understudied phenomenon. In an effort to understand some of the psychological underpinnings of such decisions, the present research builds from terror management theory to examine whether reminders of death motivate individuals strongly invested in a religious worldview (i.e., fundamentalists) to rely on religious beliefs when making medical decisions. The results showed that heightened concerns about mortality led those high in religious fundamentalism to express greater endorsement of prayer as a medical substitute (Study 1) and to perceive prayer as a more effective medical treatment (Study 2). Similarly, high fundamentalists were more supportive of religiously motivated medical refusals (Study 3) and reported an increased willingness to rely on faith alone for medical treatment (Study 4) following reminders of death. Finally, affirmations of the legitimacy of divine intervention in health contexts functioned to solidify a sense of existential meaning among fundamentalists who were reminded of personal mortality (Study 5). The existential importance of religious faith and the health-relevant implications of these findings are discussed.