title: Evidence that thinking about death relates to time-estimation behavior.
abstract: Time and death are linked--the passing of time brings us closer to death. Terror management theory proposes that awareness of death represents a potent problem that motivates a variety of psychological defenses (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1997). We tested the hypothesis that thinking about death motivates elongated perceptions of brief intervals of time. Studies 7 and 2 found that college students who reported thinking more frequently about death overestimated brief durations. Study 3 found evidence of the predicted causal relationship. Students assigned to think about death provided longer time estimates than those assigned to think about a control topic.
authors: Psychology Department, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. andy.martens@canterbury.ac.nz
authors: Andy
authors: A
authors: Martens
authors: Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
authors: Brandon J
authors: BJ
authors: Schmeichel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001364:Awareness; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D010469:Perceptual Distortion; D011936:Reality Testing; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013850:Thinking; D013998:Time Perception; D055815:Young Adult