Effects of thinking about death on adolescents' attitudes toward time

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine effects of thinking about death on adolescents' attitudes toward time. Undergraduates (TV = 127) were divided into 3 groups: (a) an experimental group, instructed to think about death, (b) a control group, instructed to think about the joys of living, and (c) a second control group, instructed to think about something unrelated to life and death. Before and after the thinking assignment, participants completed a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward time. The results of a 2 (time) X 3 (groups) mixed design ANOVA showed that, after thinking about death, the attitudes toward time of the participants in the experimental group were more positive than before. The participants' written accounts of the task that they had been assigned suggested an effect of the task on their attitudes toward time: thinking about death had led them to think about the importance of time, because time is limited in life. Effects of thinking about the joys of living, compared to thinking about death, were also discussed.