• DOI:10.1177/1948550615584200
• Corpus ID: 145425706

What If They’re Right About the Afterlife? Evidence of the Role of Existential Threat on Anti-Atheist Prejudice

@article{Cook2015WhatIT,
  title={What If They’re Right About the Afterlife? Evidence of the Role of Existential Threat on Anti-Atheist Prejudice},
  author={Corey L. Cook and Florette Cohen and Sheldon Solomon},
  journal={Social Psychological and Personality Science},
  year={2015},
  volume={6},
  pages={840 - 846}
}

• C. Cook, Florette Cohen, S. Solomon
• Published 27 April 2015
• Psychology
• Social Psychological and Personality Science

Terror management theory posits that the uniquely human awareness of death gives rise to potentially paralyzing terror that is assuaged by embracing cultural worldviews that provide a sense that one is a valuable participant in a meaningful universe. We propose that pervasive and pronounced anti-atheist prejudices stem, in part, from the existential threat posed by conflicting worldview beliefs. Two studies were conducted to establish that existential concerns contribute to anti-atheist sentiments. Experiment 1 found that a subtle reminder of death increased disparagement, social distancing, and distrust of atheists. Experiment 2 found that asking people to think about atheism increased the accessibility of implicit death thoughts. These studies provide the first empirical link between existential concerns and anti-atheist prejudices.