On Death (with Laura Blackie)

Why do we avoid thinking about our own death? How does contemplating our own mortality change our day-to-day behaviour? Why do drivers, when reminded of the fact that they will die, actually drive even faster? Whilst society typically hides death from us, might certain death reflection scenarios actually lead to the development of wisdom? Laura Blackie has considered these and many related questions, and joins Igor and Charles to discuss Terror Management Theory, Death Reflection, and the potential upsides of contemplating our own demise. Igor dismisses a death clock which tells him he won't live as long as Charles, Laura outlines the possible prosocial benefits of imagining a painful and horrible death, and Charles admits to spending too much time thinking about whether his funeral will be well attended. Welcome to Episode 3.

• Laura Blackie - The University of Nottingham
• The Death Clock: Calculate your life expectancy today
• The Influence of a Sense of Time on Human Development | Science
• Terror Management Theory - Greenberg & Arndt
• Specific and Individuated Death Reflection Fosters Identity Integration
• Greed, death, and values: from terror management to transcendence management theory. - PubMed - NCBI
• Self-affirmation and mortality salience: affirming values reduces worldview defense and death-thought accessibility. - PubMed - NCBI