article_snippet.sent: Scientists suggest that religious beliefs help people cope in inhospitable habitats.
article_snippet.sent: Prosocial behaviour [actions that help others] maybe helps people do well in harsh or unpredictable environments.
article_snippet.sent: Being reminded of our own mortality makes our more generous - a phenomenon known as The Scrooge Effect, after the Dickens character (shown) Being reminded of our own mortality makes our more generous, according to a new study.
article_snippet.sent: a new study also boosts the feeling of pleasure we get from doing a good deed.
article_snippet.sent: ‘Acting pro-socially in the face of mortality thoughts effectively soothes death anxiety, and in turn produces psychological satisfaction,’ researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison wrote in a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
article_snippet.sent: a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology builds on the terror management theory, which says that humans deal with our fear of death by believing in an afterlife or devoting our lives to a cause that will live on, Pacific Standard reported.
article_snippet.sent: Previous work found that Americans reminded of Americans own mortaility gave more money to a charity that said it would help people in the country, than one that had an international focus.
article_snippet.sent: It suggested that thoughts of death made people strengthen people beliefs - such as allegiance to a religion or country – and is known as The Scrooge Effect.
article_snippet.sent: a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology included an experiment, where people were asked to split $8 between people and a stranger, while reporting people own satisfaction.
article_snippet.sent: Before this, Polish student participants were asked to fill out a survey about death, or dealing with a trip to the dentists, then complete a crossword.
article_snippet.sent: Polish student participants found that volunteers who had previously thought about death gave more money to a stranger and said Polish student participants felt happier doing it.
article_snippet.sent: The experiment seems to bolster The Scrooge Effect and suggests that reinforcing a person’s self-image of being generous, or supporting a cause, are effective ways of managing fear of dying.