Human Behavior Designed to Avoid Thoughts of Death

Like all good social psychologists, Jamie Arndt has more than a few ideas about ways people think and behave. Specifically, he and some of his colleagues in the department of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia seek to understand why people work so hard to feel good about themselves. The answer, they believe, can be found in an overriding fear of death.

"Only humans have the fine-tuned cognitive ability to fully realize the inevitability of their own mortality," Arndt said.

This ability to ponder the inevitability of death, however, doesn't necessarily translate into thoughtful consideration and acceptance of it. Instead, as Arndt and his colleagues argue, people develop sophisticated behavioral systems that are designed to help them avoid thinking about dying. A subtle reminder of the inevitability of death, even for people who are otherwise psychologically healthy, can create the potential for extreme anxiety, even terror. People struggle to manage the onset or possibility of this terror.

"People are usually not plagued by the anxiety this awareness might be expected to engender," Arndt said. "Rather, what my colleagues and I have revealed through our research is that a great deal of human behavior functions to defuse this potential threat."

The protective behavior, which Arndt calls terror management, manifests itself in a variety of ways. There are the classic psychological disorders, such as obsessive compulsive behavior. Arndt, however, is interested in how this process works on a deeper psychological level. He says the unconscious awareness of mortality influences human behavior in sophisticated ways that most people consider socially acceptable or seemingly "normal." The accumulation of wealth, a desire to be physically fit, the need to always look physically attractive -- whatever people do to build their self esteem -- can be viewed as behavior that helps them avoid thinking about the inevitability of death. In short, people constantly rely on behavior that "defuses the threat."

Arndt says that the fear of mortality also may explain the process by which people attach meaning to their culture. Experiences that remind people of the fragility of life, such as the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, often cause people to affirm their religious faith or to have a renewed sense of patriotism. These values give people a sense of meaning but also may contribute to an inability to coexist with people who have different values or attitudes.

The National Cancer Institute has funded Arndt's study.