How does thinking about death influence attitudes about celebrities and fame?
Liam Miller, Caitlin Hill, Aneyah Williams, and Natalie Fowler
This research project investigates the role decreasing death anxiety plays in the appeal of fame. According to Terror Management Theory (TMT; Pyszczynski, et al., 2015), when people are exposed to reminders of death, there is a mental defense system used to lower death-related anxiety by focusing on cultural beliefs that make existence seem meaningful and valuable. From this perspective, the allure of fame and the appeal of celebrities lie in the ability to achieve a means of symbolic immortality. To test this perspective on fame, we designed an experiment, in which we primed participants to think about either their own death or going to the dentist before having them report how much they admire their favorite celebrity and for how long they imagine their favorite celebrity will be famous. Data collection is ongoing, however we hypothesize that compared to those in the control condition individuals who thought about death will report more favorable attitudes towards celebrities and estimate that their favorite celebrity will be famous for longer.
Liam Miller is a senior psychology major from Sumter, South Carolina. He is a member of the Psi Chi honor society and hopes to be a mental health counselor in order to work with veterans with PTSD.
Caitlin Hill is a senior psychology major at Lander University. She is currently a member of the Alpha Chi and Psi Chi honors societies. She has a deep passion for music and can play three musical instruments. In her spare time she likes to write her own music and practice playing a variety of different types of music. After graduation, Caitlin plans to attend a Physician Assistant program at Augusta University.
Aneyah Williams is a senior at Lander University. She is a part of Psi Chi Honor’s society and this semester is her second semester on Dr. Bassett’s research team. She plans on going to get her master’s degree in social work after she graduates.
Natalie Fowler is a senior psychology major at Lander University. She is in the Psychology Club and has been involved in undergraduate research for two semesters on two separate projects investigating how existential anxiety influences behavior and attitudes. After graduating from Lander, she plans on going on and getting her master’s degree.