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Published on: April 28, 2022
Implicit death primes increase alcohol consumption
Tsachi Ein-Dor1, Gilad Hirschberger1, Adi Perry1
1School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.
Summary
Priming thoughts of death significantly increased alcohol consumption among pedestrians. This suggests that existential concerns may drive the desire for alcoholic beverages.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Existential concerns, such as thoughts of death, can influence human behavior.
- Alcohol consumption is a common coping mechanism for various psychological states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between mortality salience and alcohol consumption.
- To determine if reminders of death increase the likelihood of choosing alcoholic beverages.
Main Methods:
- A campus-based experiment with 377 participants.
- Participants were randomly assigned to receive a flyer priming thoughts of death or severe back pain (control).
- Participants were then offered the chance to purchase an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage.
Main Results:
- A significantly higher percentage of participants exposed to the death prime consumed alcohol (36.59%) compared to the control group (8.94%).
- The type of prime did not affect nonalcoholic beverage consumption.
- The effect size (W = .41) indicates a substantial association.
Conclusions:
- Mortality salience is linked to increased alcohol consumption.
- Death-related concerns may motivate individuals to consume alcohol.
- This research highlights a potential psychological pathway influencing drinking behavior.
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