Death, sex, love, and neuroticism: Why is sex such a problem?
Abstract
Terror management theory posits that sex is a ubiquitous human problem because the creaturely aspects of sex make apparent our animal nature, which reminds us of our vulnerability and mortality. People minimize this threat by investing in the symbolic meaning offered by the cultural worldview. Because people high in neuroticism have difficulty finding or sustaining meaning, sex is a particular problem for them. In Study 1, mortality salience caused high-neuroticism participants to find the physical aspects of sex less appealing. Study 2 revealed that for such individuals thoughts of physical sex increase the accessibility of death-related thoughts. This finding was replicated in Study 3, which also showed that providing meaning by associating sex with love reduces the accessibility of death-related thoughts in response to thoughts of physical sex. These findings provide insight into why people high in neuroticism have conflicting thoughts about sexuality and why sexuality is so often regulated and romanticized.
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Sex is problematic because it reminds us of our animality.
“Terror management researchers persuasively argue that sex is problematic in that it too reminds us of our animality”
From Disgusting Bodies, Disgusting Religion: The Biology of Tantra (2011) · cites this paper as Goldenberg et al. 1999: 1175
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- Authors
- Goldenberg, J. L., Pyszczynski, T., McCoy, S. K., Greenberg, J., & Solomon, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1999
- Volume
- 77
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1173-1187
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2051209432
- Cited by
- 189
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 4.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Commons - University of South Florida (University of South Florida) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Literature and Literary Theory › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- terror management theory, neuroticism, sexuality, mortality salience, death-related thoughts, love, cultural worldview, meaning in life, sexual attraction
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Affect, Attitude to Death, Culture, Female, Humans, Love, Male, Middle Aged, Neurotic Disorders, Personality Inventory, Pilot Projects, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sexual Behavior
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