Abstract
Although reminders of mortality can induce social identity motivations, such as social status or hierarchy preference. However, the influence of Mortality Salience (MS) on consumption choices motivated by personal identity remains unclear. Using multinational datasets and experimental designs, we demonstrate that MS leads to a heightened desire for meaning in life, subsequently resulting in a stronger preference for products relevant to personal identity. Furthermore, we found that this effect can be mitigated when consumers’ important values are affirmed. The current research contributes to the literature on coping with mortality salience and offering important theoretical insights into the relationship between MS and personal identity-based consumption. Furthermore, our findings hold practical implications for marketers seeking to develop more effective targeting strategies and promoting consumer well-being.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Aibao, Z., Qiongying, X. U., Fumin, Z., Yiling, W. U., & Shifeng, L. I. (2020). Self-affirmation buffering by the general public reduces anxiety levels during the COVID-19 epidemic. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 52(7), 886–894. https://doi.org/10.3724/sp.J.1041.2020.00886
Armitage, C. J., Harris, P. R., Hepton, G., & Napper, L. (2008). Self-affirmation increases acceptance of health-risk information among UK adult smokers with low socioeconomic status. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors: Journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 22(1), 88–95. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164x.22.1.88
Arndt, J., Solomon, S., Kasser, T., & Sheldon, K. M. (2004). The urge to splurge: A Terror Management Account of Materialism and Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14(3), 198–212. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp1403_2
Audrin, C., Cheval, B., & Chanal, J. (2018). Materialism moderates the impact of mortality salience on impulsive tendencies toward luxury brands. Death Studies, 42(2), 115–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2017.1334008
Berger, J., & Heath, C. (2007). Where consumers diverge from others: Identity Signaling and Product domains. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(2), 121–134. https://doi.org/10.1086/519142
Burke, B. L., Martens, A., & Faucher, E. H. (2010). Two decades of terror management theory: A meta-analysis of mortality salience research. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14(2), 155–195. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868309352321
Chen, Z., Poon, K. T., DeWall, C. N., & Jiang, T. (2020). Life lacks meaning without acceptance: Ostracism triggers suicidal thoughts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(6), 1423–1443. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000238
Chenavier, R. (2020). Personal identity and national identity: An analogy. Philosophical Investigations, 43(1–2), 158–164. https://doi.org/10.1111/phin.12266
Courtney, E. P., Felig, R. N., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2022). Together we can slow the spread of COVID-19: The interactive effects of priming collectivism and mortality salience on virus-related health behaviour intentions. British Journal of Social Psychology, 61(1), 410–431. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12487
Cox, C. R., Swets, J. A., Gully, B., Xiao, J., & Yraguen, M. (2021). Death concerns, benefit-finding, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 648609. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648609
De Ruyter, D., & Conroy, J. (2002). The formation of identity: The importance of ideals. Oxford Review of Education, 28(4), 509–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305498022000013643
Demblon, J., & D’Argembeau, A. (2017). Contribution of past and future self-defining event networks to personal identity. Memory (Hove, England), 25(5), 656–665. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2016.1205095
Dewitte, L., Schellekens, T., Steger, M. F., Martela, F., Vanhooren, S., Vandenbulcke, M., & Dezutter, J. (2021). What can we learn about the Concept of meaning in life from older adults with Alzheimer’s Disease? A Directed Content Analysis Study. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(7), 2845–2871. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00351-4
Dun, L., White, K., & Dahl, D. W. (2020). A little piece of me when Mortality Reminders lead to giving to others. Journal of Consumer Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaa020/5823889
Dunn, L., White, K., & Dahl, D. W. (2020). A little piece of me: When mortality reminders lead to giving to others. Journal of Consumer Research, 47(3), 431–453. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaa020
Fransen, M. L., Fennis, B. M., Pruyn, A. T. H., & Das, E. (2008). Rest in peace? Brand-induced mortality salience and consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 61(10), 1053–1061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.09.020
Friese, M., & Hofmann, W. (2008). What would you have as a last supper? Thoughts about death influence evaluation and consumption of food products. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(5), 1388–1394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.06.003
Gobrecht, F., & Marchand, A. (2023). The finitude of life-how mortality salience affects consumer behavior: A review. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 22(1), 199–216. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2117
Goldenberg, J. L., McCoy, S. K., Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., & Solomon, S. (2000). The body as a source of self-esteem: The effect of mortality salience on identification with one’s body, interest in sex, and appearance monitoring. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(1), 118–130. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.1.118
Greenberg, J., Simon, L., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & Chatel, D. (1992). Terror management and tolerance: Does mortality salience always intensify negative reactions to others who threaten one’s worldview? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(2), 212–220. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.63.2.212
Haerpfer, C., Inglehart, R., Moreno, A., Welzel, C., Kizilova, K., & Puranen, J. D. M. (2020). World values Survey: Round seven - country-pooled Datafile. Madrid, Spain & Vienna, Austria. JD Systems Institute & WVSA Secretariat. https://doi.org/10.14281/18241.13
Han, H., Lee, K. S., Radic, A., Ngah, A. H., & Kim, J. J. (2021). The extended self-identify- based electric product adoption model and airline business strategy: A new theoretical framework for green technology products. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 38(3), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2021.1906386
Hayes, A. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Publications.
Huang, Z., & Wyer, R. S. (2015). Diverging effects of mortality salience on variety seeking: The different roles of death anxiety and semantic concept activation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 112–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2015.01.008
Huang, Z., Huang, X., & Jiang, Y. (2018). The impact of death-related media information on Consumer Value Orientation and Scope Sensitivity. Journal of Marketing Research, 55(3), 432–445. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.16.0282
Juhl, J., & Routledge, C. (2010). Structured terror: Further exploring the effects of mortality salience and personal need for structure on worldview defense. Journal of Personality, 78(3), 969–990. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2010.00639.x
Kasser, T., & Sheldon, K. M. (2000). Of Wealth and Death: Materialism. Mortality Salience, and Consumption Behavior, 11, 348–351.
Leung, E., Paolacci, G., & Puntoni, S. (2018). Man Versus Machine: Resisting automation in identity-based consumer behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, 55(6), 818–831. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243718818423
Leung, E., Cito, M. C., Paolacci, G., & Puntoni, S. (2021). Preference for material products in Identity-based consumption. Journal of Consumer Psychology (John Wiley and Sons Inc), 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcpy.1272
Lin, L., & Chan, H. W. (2021). When is search for meaning in life beneficial for well-being? A cross-national study. International Journal of Psychology, 56(1), 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12696
Matz, D. C., & Wood, W. (2005). Cognitive dissonance in groups: The consequences of disagreement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(1), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.88.1.22
McCabe, S., & Erdem, S. (2021). The influence of mortality reminders on cultural in-group versus out-group takeaway food safety perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12740
Melton, A. M. A., & Schulenberg, S. E. (2007). On the relationship between meaning in life and boredom proneness: Examining a logotherapy postulate. Psychological Reports, 101(3 Pt 2), 1016–1022. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.101.4.1016-1022
Mishra, S., & Bakry, A. (2021). Social identities in consumer-brand relationship: The case of the Hijab‐wearing Barbie doll in the United States. Journal of Consumer Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1965
Ng, S., Faraji-Rad, A., & Batra, R. (2021). Uncertainty evokes consumers’ preference for Brands Incongruent with their global–local citizenship identity. Journal of Marketing Research, 58(2), 400–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720972956
Oyserman, D. (2009). Identity-based motivation and consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 19(3), 276–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2009.06.001
Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., & Greenberg, J. (2015). Thirty years of terror management theory: From genesis to revelation. In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 52, pp. 1–70). Academic Press.
Rens, S. E. (2019). 'Who am I, really?’ – self-help consumption and self-identity in the age of technology. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 75(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v75i1.5336
Routledge, C., Arndt, J., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2004). A time to tan: Proximal and distal effects of mortality salience on sun exposure intentions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(10), 1347–1358. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167204264056
Schindler, S., Reinhard, M. A., Dobiosch, S., Steffan-Fauseweh, I., Özdemir, G., & Greenberg, J. (2018). The attenuating effect of mortality salience on dishonest behavior. Motivation and Emotion, 43(1), 52–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9734-y
See, Y. H., & Petty, R. E. (2006). Effects of mortality salience on evaluation of ingroup and outgroup sources: The impact of pro- versus counterattitudinal positions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(3), 405–416. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205282737
Simon, L., Greenberg, J., Harmon, J., Eddie, S., Sheldon, P., Tom, A., … Teresa. (1997). Terror management and cognitive-experiential self-theory: evidence that terror management occurs in the experiential system. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(5), 1132–1146. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.5.1132
Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. (1991). A terror management theory of social behavior: The psychological functions of self-esteem and cultural worldviews. In Advances in experimental social psychology volume 24 (pp. 93–159).
Spencer, S. J., Zanna, M. P., & Fong, G. T. (2005). Establishing a causal chain: Why experiments are often more effective than mediational analyses in examining psychological processes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89(6), 845–851. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.89.6.845
Steele, C. M., Spencer, S. J., & Lynch, M. (1993). Self-image resilience and dissonance: The role of Affirmational resources. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 64(6), 885–896. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.6.885
Steger, M. F. (2012). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry, 23(4), 381–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2012.720832
Stillman, T. F., & Lambert, N. M. (2013). The bidirectional relationship of meaning and belonging. In The experience of meaning in life (pp. 305–315).
Stillman, T. F., Baumeister, R. F., Lambert, N. M., Crescioni, A. W., Dewall, C. N., & Fincham, F. D. (2009). Alone and without purpose: Life loses meaning following Social Exclusion. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 45(4), 686–694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.03.007
Warner, S. C., & Williams, J. I. (1987). The meaning in Life Scale: Determining the reliability and validity of a measure. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 40(6), 503–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9681(87)90007-5
Womick, J., Atherton, B., & King, L. A. (2020). Lives of significance (and purpose and coherence): Subclinical narcissism, meaning in life, and subjective well-being. Heliyon, 6(5), e03982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03982
Funding
This research was supported by Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 623RC453, 722QN291, and 721QN0874) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 72361010).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical statement
Ethical review and approval were not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.
Conflict of interest
We declare that we have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Xiao, H., Liu, H., Chen, T. et al. How does mortality salience influences personal identity-based consumption? The role of meaning in life. Curr Psychol 43, 15564–15575 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05508-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05508-x