The Scrooge effect revisited: Mortality salience increases the satisfaction derived from prosocial behavior

Zaleskiewicz, Tomasz; Gasiorowska, Agata; Kesebir, Pelin

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2015.03.005

Cited by 65Death Anxiety and Social ExclusionDeath, Funerary Practices, and MourningPsychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

The Scrooge effect revisited: Mortality salience increases the satisfaction derived from prosocial behavior

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Zaleskiewicz, Tomasz, Gasiorowska, Agata, Kesebir, Pelin·2015·Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

DOI 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.03.005

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Making mortality salient causes people to become more generous and less selfish in their behavioral choice.
“Making mortality salient causes people to become more generous and less selfish in their behavioral choice (Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015).”
From “The greedy I that gives”—The paradox of egocentrism and altruism: Terror management and system justification perspectives on the interrelationship between mortality salience and charitable donations amid the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015
People develop an anxiety buffering system that helps protect them against existential fragility and furnishes psychological equanimity.
“People develop an “anxiety buffering system” (Zaleskiewicz, Gasiorowska, Kesebir, Luszczynska, & Pyszczynski, 2013, p. 56) that helps protect them against existential fragility and furnishes them with psychological equanimity (Pyszczynski et al., 2010; Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015).”
From “The greedy I that gives”—The paradox of egocentrism and altruism: Terror management and system justification perspectives on the interrelationship between mortality salience and charitable donations amid the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015
Mortality salience increases desire for prosociality, which leads to more generous and less selfish allocation of financial resources.
“Mortality salience increases desire for prosociality, which in turn leads to more generous and less selfish allocation of financial resources (Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015).”
From “The greedy I that gives”—The paradox of egocentrism and altruism: Terror management and system justification perspectives on the interrelationship between mortality salience and charitable donations amid the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015
Acting prosocially is one source of value within cultural worldview to deal with death anxiety from mortality salience.
“Acting prosocially is one source of value that exists within the cultural worldview people hold on as an attempt to deal with death anxiety from mortality salience (Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015).”
From “The greedy I that gives”—The paradox of egocentrism and altruism: Terror management and system justification perspectives on the interrelationship between mortality salience and charitable donations amid the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015
Generosity toward other people or prosocial causes can fulfill psychological needs such as a sense of power, which in turn could soothe concerns about inevitable death and existential fragility.
“Generosity toward other people or prosocial causes can fulfill psychological needs such as a sense of power, which in turn could soothe concerns about inevitable death and existential fragility (Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015).”
From “The greedy I that gives”—The paradox of egocentrism and altruism: Terror management and system justification perspectives on the interrelationship between mortality salience and charitable donations amid the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015

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“Making mortality salient causes people to become more generous and less selfish in their behavioral choice (Zaleskiewicz et al., 2015).”
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The Scrooge Effect: Evidence that mortality salience increases prosocial attitudes and behavior
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Authors: Zaleskiewicz, T., Gasiorowska, A., & Kesebir, P.
Affiliations: University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
ORCID: Kesebir, Pelin
Venue: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2015-07
Volume: 59
Pages: 67-76
ISSN: 0022-1031 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.03.005
OpenAlex: W2083845933
Cited by: 65
References: 26
Citations by year: 2026: 3 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2
FWCI: 5.46
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
papers.ssrn.com
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
SSRN Electronic Journal (submittedVersion)
Funders: Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (NN106133237)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Keywords: mortality salience, terror management theory, prosocial behavior, generosity, fear of death, dictator game, ultimatum game

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