Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025
08:24
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: August 25, 2023
644
What Makes the Time Tradeoff Tick? A Sociopsychological Explanation
Peep F M Stalmeier1, Bram Roudijk1,2
1Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Summary
Terror management theory (TMT) explains how death thoughts influence time tradeoff (TTO) scores. This framework links TMT defense strengths to TTO, offering insights for health economists.
Area of Science:
- Sociopsychology
- Health Economics
Background:
- A theoretical interpretation of factors influencing time tradeoff (TTO) scores is lacking.
- Terror management theory (TMT) posits that individuals suppress death thoughts through psychological defenses and cultural values.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a framework linking TMT to TTO scores.
- To explain how death thoughts and psychological defenses influence TTO scores.
Main Methods:
- Developed a conceptual framework connecting TMT and TTO.
- Tested framework predictions against existing literature findings.
Main Results:
- The value of "prolonging life" serves as a link between TMT and TTO.
- TMT defense strengths are associated with trading in TTO.
- Framework predictions were confirmed in 34 out of 39 retrospective tests.
Conclusions:
- The framework explains TTO score variations based on TMT defense strengths.
- It offers a theory-based approach to understanding factors influencing TTO scores, particularly for health economists.
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