No atheists in foxholes: arguments for (but not against) afterlife belief buffers mortality salience effects for atheists

Heflick, Nathan A. and Goldenberg,, Jamie L. (2012) No atheists in foxholes: arguments for (but not against) afterlife belief buffers mortality salience effects for atheists. British Journal of Social Psychology, 51 (2). pp. 385-392. ISSN 0144-6665

Full content URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2044-...

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No atheists in foxholes: arguments for (but not against) afterlife belief buffers mortality salience effects for atheists

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Abstract

Terror management theory (TMT) posits that people cope with mortality concerns
via symbolic immortality (e.g., secular cultural beliefs that outlast death) and/or
literal immortality (afterlife belief). However, what happens when these two forms
of immortality conflict, as in atheism? Would atheists’ mortality concerns be better
assuaged by affirming an afterlife, or by affirming their literal immortality-denying
worldview? Drawing on an untested TMT hypothesis, we predicted that atheists would
be buffered from mortality concerns if their atheistic worldview – no life after death –
was challenged, but not if it was supported. Results confirmed the hypothesis and were
also found for theists and agnostics. These findings support TMT’s claim that literal
immortality is of paramount importance in ameliorating death concerns.

Keywords:mortality salience, atheism, worldview defense, religious belief
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C880 Social Psychology
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
ID Code:18885
Deposited On:30 Sep 2015 14:23

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