Mind-body dualism buffers existential concerns

Abstract

Terror management theory suggests that the potential for anxiety from the awareness of death can be buffered by a cultural worldview. Mind-body dualism, the belief that the mind and the body are separate, might affect people’s mortality concerns. Given that the body is threatening given its vulnerability to death, individuals who perceive the mind and body as being connected (vs. separate) should experience higher mortality-related thoughts and defense of their cultural beliefs. The current research examined these ideas in two experiments. Specifically, low (vs. high) mind-body dualists responded to a creaturely essay with greater accessibility to death-related thoughts. Study 2 explored the carryover effects of mortality salience stemming from low dualism and animal nature concerns on worldview defense. The interaction was non-significant. The implications and future directions are further discussed.