Mortality salience, religiosity, and indefinite life extension: evidence of a reciprocal relationship between afterlife beliefs and support for forestalling death

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Lifshin ◽  
Jeff Greenberg ◽  
Melissa Soenke ◽  
Alex Darrell ◽  
Tom Pyszczynski
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Life Extension ◽  
Afterlife Beliefs

North America

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Shushan
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
North America ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Native American Religions ◽  
Widespread Acceptance ◽  
Revitalization Movements ◽  
Per Se ◽  
High Level ◽  
Near Death Experiences ◽  
Afterlife Beliefs

Dozens of Native American near-death experiences (NDEs) from the late sixteenth to early twentieth centuries are presented, ranging from across the continent. Many were accompanied by indigenous claims that they were the source for local afterlife beliefs. There were also many afterlife-related myths, and shamanic practices with NDE-like afterlife themes. In addition, numerous religious/cultural revitalization movements were claimed to have been grounded in the NDEs of their founders, and were conceptually related to the phenomenon. Near-death experiences could thus be an empowering force on a socio-cultural-political level in response to the threat of European dominance. There was a widespread acceptance and valorization of NDEs and related phenomena, and a high level of interest in the afterlife per se. Native American religions often showed a clear reciprocal relationship between shamanism, afterlife beliefs, and NDEs.

scholarly journals Women Want the Heavens, Men Want the Earth

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uri Lifshin ◽  
Peter J. Helm ◽  
Jeff Greenberg ◽  
Melissa Soenke ◽  
Tom Pyszczynski
Keyword(s):  
Attitudes Toward Science ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Life Extension ◽  
Science Study ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Afterlife Beliefs ◽  
Made In

Abstract. Efforts are being made in the field of medicine to promote the possibility of indefinite life extension (ILE). Past research on attitudes toward ILE technologies showed that women and more religious individuals usually have more negative attitudes toward ILE. The purpose of this research was to investigate whether gender differences in attitude toward indefinite life extension technologies could be explained by religiosity, afterlife beliefs, and general attitudes toward science. In four studies ( N = 5,000), undergraduate participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring their support for life extension as well as religiosity, afterlife beliefs, and attitude toward science (in Study 3). In all studies, men supported ILE more than women, whereas women reported greater belief in an afterlife. The relationship between gender and attitude toward ILE was only partially mediated by religiosity (Studies 2–4) and by attitudes toward science (Study 3).

Natural, But Not Supernatural, Literal Immortality Affirmation Attenuates Mortality Salience Effects on Worldview Defense in Atheists

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 312-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth E. Vail ◽  
Melissa Soenke ◽  
Brett Waggoner ◽  
Ilianna Mavropoulou
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Life Extension ◽  
Worldview Defense ◽  
Death Awareness

The present research explored whether atheists managing death awareness would be effectively buffered by affirmations of supernatural and/or natural literal immortality. Prior data were reanalyzed, revealing ambiguous results, so further experiments were conducted. In Study 1 ( n = 382), atheists were randomly assigned to a supernatural afterlife-confirmed (vs. afterlife-disconfirmed) prime, an MS (vs. control topic) prime, and then given an opportunity to engage in secular worldview defense. In Study 2 ( n = 360), atheists were randomly assigned to supernatural (afterlife) versus natural (medical indefinite life extension; MILE) immortality prime, an MS (vs. control topic) prime, and then given an opportunity to engage in secular worldview defense. Atheists managing death awareness increased worldview defense in the supernatural/afterlife conditions but that effect was eliminated in the MILE condition. These findings are consistent with the terror management theory perspective on worldview defense. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

Daily Fluctuations in Work Engagement

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnold B. Bakker
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Proactive Behavior ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Work Pressure ◽  
Diary Research

This article presents an overview of the literature on daily fluctuations in work engagement. Daily work engagement is a state of vigor, dedication, and absorption that is predictive of important organizational outcomes, including job performance. After briefly discussing enduring work engagement, the advantages of diary research are discussed, as well as the concept and measurement of daily work engagement. The research evidence shows that fluctuations in work engagement are a function of the changes in daily job and personal resources. Particularly on the days that employees have access to many resources, they are able to cope well with their daily job demands (e.g., work pressure, negative events), and likely interpret these demands as challenges. Furthermore, the literature review shows that on the days employees have sufficient levels of job control, they proactively try to optimize their work environment in order to stay engaged. This proactive behavior is called job crafting and predicts momentary and daily work engagement. An important additional finding is that daily engagement has a reciprocal relationship with daily recovery. On the days employees recover well, they feel more engaged; and engagement during the day is predictive of subsequent recovery. Finding the daily balance between engagement while at work and detachment while at home seems the key to enduring work engagement.

When Death Is Compelling

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 352-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Schindler ◽  
Marc-André Reinhard
Keyword(s):  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Norms And Values ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
The Face ◽  
Scenario Study ◽  
Norm Of Reciprocity

Abstract. Research on terror management theory has found evidence that people under mortality salience strive to live up to activated social norms and values. Recently, research has shown that mortality salience also increases adherence to the norm of reciprocity. Based on this, in the current paper we investigated the idea that mortality salience influences persuasion strategies that are based on the norm of reciprocity. We therefore assume that mortality salience should enhance compliance for a request when using the door-in-the-face technique – a persuasion strategy grounded in the norm of reciprocity. In a hypothetical scenario (Study 1), and in a field experiment (Study 2), applying the door-in-the-face technique enhanced compliance in the mortality salience condition compared to a control group.

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