Where Health and Death Intersect

Abstract

This paper offers an integrative understanding of the intersection between "health" and "death" from the perspective of the terror management health model. After highlighting the potential for health-related situations to elicit concerns about mortality, we turn to the question, how do thoughts of death influence health decision-making? Across varied health domains, the answer depends on whether these cognitions are in conscious awareness or not. When mortality concerns are conscious, people engage in healthy intentions and behavior if efficacy and coping resources are present. In contrast, when contending with accessible but non-conscious thoughts of death, health relevant decisions are guided more by esteem implications of the behavior. Lastly, we present research suggesting how these processes can be leveraged to facilitate health promotion and reduce health risk.

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