Coping with mortality salience: the role of connection thinking and afterlife beliefs in Chinese context.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Grounded in Terror Management Theory (TMT), this research explored the influence of mortality salience on preferences for afterlife beliefs (reincarnation vs. resignation to fate) within a Chinese context. We also examined the mediating role of death anxiety and the moderating effects of connection thinking across different age groups.

Methods

Across three experimental studies involving a cumulative sample of 485 Chinese participants, we primed individuals with thoughts of their own mortality and then assessed their death anxiety and proclivity toward reincarnation beliefs or resignation to fate. Connection thinking-a cognitive construct emphasizing relational interconnectedness-was also evaluated to ascertain its moderating impact.

Results

The data revea

SUBMITTER: Wang K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10704099 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature