Abstract
Dishonesty evolved under natural selection among species. Whether or not individuals become dishonest for self-benefit when they experience distress by thinking about their own death is crucial and unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between death anxiety (i.e., individuals’ anxiety about their own death) and individuals’ tendencies to be dishonest, and whether individuals’ social dominance orientation (SDO) moderated the relationship between death anxiety and tendency for self-benefit dishonesty behaviors. Using two large-scale samples (Studies 1 and 3) and one undergraduate sample (Study 2), three studies (N = 3511) were conducted; all studies supported our hypothesis that death anxiety was positively associated with self-benefit dishonesty. Additionally, results showed that the relationship between death anxiety and tendency to be dishonest only occurred when individuals had a high SDO. These findings inform research on death anxiety by revealing its evolutionary functions regarding the promotion of resource-seeking behaviors (e.g., self-benefit dishonesty).
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Funding
This research was supported by Project funded by Humanity and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (20YJC190001), Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2019A1515110193), Funds for PHD researchers of Guangdong Medical University in 2019 (B2019013).
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WC constructed the original concepts. SW performed research and analyzed data. Both authors designed the study, draft the manuscript, critically revised the paper, and approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.
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Cai, W., Wu, S. Greater death anxiety, greater dishonesty for self-benefit: The moderating role of social dominance orientation. Motiv Emot 45, 368–376 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-021-09877-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-021-09877-3