The DOI matches its Crossref record; 51 of the 51 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Scrooge Effect: Evidence that Mortality Salience Increases Prosocial Attitudes and Behavior
Abstract
From the perspective of terror management theory, reminders of mortality should intensify the desire to express culturally prescribed prosocial attitudes and engage in culturally prescribed prosocial behaviors. Two studies supported these hypotheses. In Study 1, people were interviewed in close proximity to a funeral home or several blocks away and were asked to indicate their attitudes toward two charities they deemed important. Those who were interviewed in front of the funeral home reported more favorability toward these charities than those who were interviewed several blocks away. In Study 2, the authors found that following mortality salience, people gave more money to a charity supporting an American cause than people who had been exposed to an aversive control topic. However, mortality salience had no effect on the amount of money given to a foreign cause. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
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In the citing paper
“However, since cultural norms often encourage both generosity and the accumulation of material wealth simultaneously, the terror management literature on people's monetary behaviors and attitudes reveals seemingly contradictory results suggesting that mortality salience paradoxically leads to both generosity (H2, H4a, H4b, and H4c) and greed (H4d and H4e) (Jonas et al., 2002; Jonas et al., 2013; K”
In the citing paper
“Indeed, MS has been shown to motivate people to defend and uphold the prominence of their cultural systems by lashing out at threats [9], but also by giving to a local charitable organization [23].”
From An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes (2015) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“Indeed, MS increases donations to charities, particularly when the charity aims to help the individuals' own community [23,56].”
From An Appreciative View of the Brighter Side of Terror Management Processes (2015) · cites this paper as [23]
Citations
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Metadata
- Authors
- Jonas, E., Schimel, J., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T.
- Affiliations
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
- University of Alberta (CA)
- University of Arizona (US)
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- Corresponding author
- Jonas, Eva
- Venue
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-10
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1342-1353
- ISSN
- 0146-1672 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-7433
- OpenAlex
- W2049867294
- Cited by
- 420
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 12.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- mortality salience, terror management theory, prosocial attitudes, prosocial behavior, charitable giving, cultural values, fear of death
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