The DOI matches its Crossref record; 28 of the 29 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
When death thoughts lead to death fears: Mortality salience increases death anxiety for individuals who lack meaning in life
Abstract
Research derived from terror management theory demonstrates that subtle reminders of mortality increase strivings for meaning. It is argued that such strivings reflect efforts to prevent the anxiety that death reminders may otherwise cause. However, no research has directly tested the assertions that subtle mortality primes increase death anxiety and perceptions of meaning in life moderate this effect. The current study examined these predictions. Meaning in life was measured, death cognition primed, and death anxiety assessed. A mortality prime increased death anxiety, but only for individuals who lack perceptions of meaning in life. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
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“A stronger feeling of meaning in life has been shown to correlate with a lesser degree of death anxiety [1, 19].”
From Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator (2019) · cites this paper as [19]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Routledge, C., & Juhl, J.
- Affiliations
- North Dakota State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Routledge, Clay
- ORCID
- Juhl, Jacob
- Venue
- Cognition & Emotion
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2010-08
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 848-854
- ISSN
- 0269-9931 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0600
- OpenAlex
- W1993841268
- Cited by
- 183
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 3.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Cognition & Emotion (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media Influence and Health
- Keywords
- mortality salience, fear of death, meaning in life, terror management theory
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