Temporal Perspective and Prosocial Behavior Under Mortality Salience: Evidence from Chinese University Students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Inconsistent findings exist regarding mortality salience (MS) and prosocial behavior.
• Psychological variables like temporal perspective may moderate the MS-prosocial behavior link.
• Temporal perspective influences how individuals perceive their life course.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the moderating role of temporal perspective on the effect of MS on prosocial behavior.
• To reconcile inconsistent findings in existing MS research.
• To explore how different temporal perspectives (linear vs. cyclical) influence responses to mortality salience.

Main Methods:

• A between-subjects design with 212 participants was used.
• Participants were assigned to conditions involving mortality salience (MS) or dental pain, and linear, cyclical, or blank temporal perspective priming.
• Prosocial behavior was measured via self-reported helping intentions.

Main Results:

• Mortality salience significantly increased prosocial behavior compared to a control condition.
• Temporal perspective moderated this effect: linear priming amplified MS-induced prosociality, while cyclical priming attenuated it.
• A significant interaction between temporal perspective and MS was found in predicting prosocial behavior.

Conclusions:

• Temporal perspective critically moderates the relationship between MS and prosocial behavior.
• Linear temporal perspective enhances MS effects by increasing existential threat awareness.
• Cyclical temporal perspective mitigates MS effects by framing mortality within natural cycles, offering implications for interventions in death-related contexts.