PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

The bright side of death: Awareness of mortality can result in positive behaviors

2012-05-01
(Press-News.org) COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Contemplating death doesn't necessarily lead to morose despondency, fear, aggression or other negative behaviors, as previous research has suggested. Following a review of dozens of studies, University of Missouri researchers found that thoughts of mortality can lead to decreased militaristic attitudes, better health decisions, increased altruism and helpfulness, and reduced divorce rates.

"According to terror management theory, people deal with their awareness of mortality by upholding cultural beliefs and seeking to become part of something larger and more enduring than themselves, such as nations or religions," said Jamie Arndt, study co-author and professor of psychological sciences. "Depending on how that manifests itself, positive outcomes can be the result."

For example, in one study American test subjects were reminded of death or a control topic and then either imagined a local catastrophe or were reminded of the global threat of climate change. Their militaristic attitudes toward Iran were then evaluated. After being reminded of death, people who were reminded of climate change were more likely to express lower levels of militarism than those who imagined a local disaster.

"The differences seen in this study resulted from the size of the group with which the test subjects identified," said Ken Vail, lead author and psychology doctoral student. "In both cases, they responded to the awareness of mortality by seeking to protect the relevant groups. When the threat was localized, subjects aggressively defended their local group; but when the threat was globalized, subjects associated themselves with humanity as a whole and became more peaceful and cooperative."

After real catastrophes, such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombing, people's heightened fear and awareness of death had both positive and negative effects.

"Both the news media and researchers tended to focus on the negative reaction to these acts of terrorism, such as violence and discrimination against Muslims, but studies also found that people expressed higher degrees of gratitude, hope, kindness and leadership after 9/11." Vail said. "In another example, after the Oklahoma City bombing, divorce rates went down in surrounding counties. After some stimuli escalates one's awareness of death, the positive reaction is to try to reaffirm that the world has positive aspects as well."

In their personal lives, people also were influenced to make positive choices after their awareness of death was increased. Studies found that conscious thoughts of death can inspire intentions to exercise more. Other studies found that keeping mortality in mind can reduce smoking and increase sunscreen use.

Even subconscious awareness of death can more influenced behavior. In one experiment, passers-by who had recently overheard conversations mentioning the value of helping were more likely to help strangers if they were walking within sight of cemeteries.

"Once we started developing this study we were surprised how much research showed positive outcomes from awareness of mortality," said Arndt. "It seems that people may be just as capable of doing the opposite and 'looking on the bright side of death,' as the Monty Python song says."

###The paper "When Death is Good for Life: Considering the Positive Trajectories of Terror Management" was published online on April 5, 2012, in Personality and Social Psychology Review, a journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP).


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Old maps and dead clams help solve coastal boulder mystery

Old maps and dead clams help solve coastal boulder mystery
2012-05-01
Perched atop the sheer coastal cliffs of Ireland's Aran Islands, ridges of giant boulders have puzzled geologists for years. What forces could have torn these rocks from the cliff edges high above sea level and deposited them far inland? While some researchers contend that only a tsunami could push these stones, new research in The Journal of Geology finds that plain old ocean waves, with the help of some strong storms, did the job. And they're still doing it. The three tiny Aran Islands are just off the western coast of Ireland. The elongated rock ridges form a ...

Ultratec, distributors for Systech Illinois, will be exhibiting their range of Gas Analysis Equipment at the Korea Pack 2012 Packaging Exhibition

2012-05-01
Systech Illinois offer a leading range of oxygen and water vapor permeation analysers for testing of all packaging film, finished package and PET bottles. They are an invaluable R&D resource for testing and validating new packaging. Systech also provide fast, accurate oxygen and carbon dioxide analyzers for testing headspace and gas flushed food packages. These can be used effectively with packages of all sizes and portable and waterproof versions are available. Ultratec plan to exhibit Systech IllinoisâEUR extensive range of permeation analysers, headspace gas analysers ...

Researchers develop new method to measure IT quality

2012-05-01
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Researchers at the University at Buffalo School of Management have proposed a better way of measuring the capabilities of IT service providers in a study recently published in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. The study was conducted by Rajiv Kishore, associate professor, and H. Raghav Rao, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, in the school's Management Science and Systems Department, and Matthew E. Swinarski, associate professor, and Eric Jackson, assistant professor, in the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Erie, The Behrend ...

American Dentist Says US Dentists Overcharge! So He Sends Patients To About Mexican Dentists .Com Certified Cabo And Puerto Vallarta Dentists.

2012-05-01
American Dentist Says US Dentists Overcharge! So he sends patients to Cabo dental clincs and Puerto Vallarta dentists. And he even pays the airfare for dental makeover patients. American dentist Dr. Nelson Henry DDS has worked both in the USA and onboard cruise ships traveling the world as the ship's dentist for passengers and crew. He operates two clinics in rural Maine but for years has been enjoying vacationing in Mexico's prime resort towns of Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Seeing that high-quality low-cost dental care is available in Mexico dental clinics ...

WPI team scales-up production of biopolymer microthreads

WPI team scales-up production of biopolymer microthreads
2012-05-01
VIDEO: Development of new therapies for a range of medical conditions, from common sports injuries to heart attack, will be supported by a new production-scale microthread extruder designed and built by... Click here for more information. Worcester, Mass. – Development of new therapies for a range of medical conditions—from common sports injuries to heart attacks—will be supported by a new production-scale microthread extruder designed and built by a team of graduate students ...

PryMarke, LLC Announces New Editorial Advisory Board

2012-05-01
PryMarke, LLC of Michigan has announced the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) for the upcoming book, "Cultural and Technological Influences on Global Business" to be published in 2013 by IGI Global in Pennsylvania. "This Board represents a very healthy cross-section of expertise and talent from around the world," said Bryan Christiansen, PryMarke's president since 2004. "The publication is intended primarily for scholar-practitioners who need to better understand how today's globalization affects global business functions such as export-import, finance, ...

NASA satellite measurements imply Texas wind farm impact on surface temperature

2012-05-01
A Texas region containing four of the world's largest wind farms showed an increase in land surface temperature over nine years that researchers have connected to local meteorological effects of the turbines. The land surface temperature around the west-central Texas wind farms warmed at a rate of .72 degrees Celsius per decade during the study period relative to nearby regions without wind farms, an effect most likely caused by the turbulence in turbine wakes acting like fans to pull down warmer air from higher altitudes at night, said lead author Liming Zhou at the ...

MSU invention could help pharmaceutical industry save money

2012-05-01
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Two Michigan State University researchers have invented a protein purifier that could help pharmaceutical companies save time and money. The details of the invention, which appear in a recent issue of the journal Langmuir, demonstrate that MSU chemists Merlin Bruening and Greg Baker's high-performance membranes are highly suitable for protein purification, a crucial step in the development of some new drugs. Purifying proteins, the process of isolating a single, desired protein from all others, is an expensive, time-consuming hurdle that contributes ...

United Capital Source Makes Mark in Alternative Lending

2012-05-01
United Capital Source (UCS) has doubled down on small business in the first four months of 2012. Riding on good economic news and positive feedback from their clients, UCS has expanded the range of eligible applicants. Brick and mortar retail aren't the only ones receiving financing up to $2 million anymore. The qualifying criteria is quickly becoming 'all businesses', rather than a specific category of businesses. Other alternative lenders are following suit but the UCS brand is already becoming a household name. The volume of deals funded in the first quarter of 2012 ...

Technology eases migraine pain in the deep brain

2012-05-01
Migraine pain sits at the upper end of the typical pain scale – an angry-red section often labeled "severe." At this intensity, pain is debilitating. Yet many sufferers do not get relief from – or cannot tolerate – over-the-counter and commonly prescribed pain medications. Recently, a team of researchers that includes Dr. Marom Bikson, associate professor of biomedical engineering in CCNY's Grove School of Engineering, has shown that a brain stimulation technology can prevent migraine attacks from occurring. Their technique, using transcranial direct current stimulation ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Teen loneliness triggers ‘reward seeking’ behaviour

How fast mRNA degrades linked to autoimmune disease risk

What stiffening lung tissue reveals about the earliest stages of fibrosis

Kessler Foundation’s Trevor Dyson-Hudson, MD, honored with James J. Peters Distinguished Service Award from ASCIP

Tiny fish open new horizons for autism research.

How eye-less corals see the light

Storing breast milk for specific times of day could support babies’ circadian rhythm

Growing a new, pencil-shaped structure of gold named “quantum needles”

Transparent mesoporous WO₃ film enhances solar water splitting efficiency and stability

Protostellar jet detection in Milky Way’s outer region reveals universal star formation

New research uncovers a ‘ghost’ of the Australian bush

Study establishes link between rugby and dementia

Can courts safeguard fairness in an AI age?

Less than half of England has access to Mounjaro on the NHS months after roll-out

Study highlights cultural differences in parenting and reveals that how babies are soothed matters more than how fast

Claims on baby food fail to stack up

Potential molecular link between air pollutants and increased risk of Lewy body dementia revealed

Deaths from high blood pressure-related kidney disease up nearly 50% in the past 25 years

U.S. survey finds salt substitutes rarely used by people with high blood pressure

Researchers map key human proteins that power coronavirus replication, pointing to new treatment strategies

Single hair strand could provide biomarker for ALS, Mount Sinai study finds

Bio-oil made with corn stalks, wood debris could plug orphaned fossil fuel wells

Can the 'good' bacteria in your mouth act as probiotic cavity fighters?

This common fish has an uncommon feature: Forehead teeth, used for mating

UI Health performs first islet cell transplant with Lantidra

Study shows not all dietary proteins are digested the same way

MSU study finds accessible wireless ultrasounds are accurate

Scientists review breakthrough methods to disrupt toxic “forever chemicals” in water

Ghost sharks grow forehead teeth to help them have sex

How stress and social struggles fuel America’s obesity crisis

[Press-News.org] The bright side of death: Awareness of mortality can result in positive behaviors