Adapting to Existential Threat
Disrupted Neurophysiological Death-Denial Mechanisms in the Wake of Covid-19 Predict Diminished Environmental Concern
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21837071 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Yair Dor‐Ziderman (0000-0002-2005-3770, University of Padua, corresponding author), Jonathan David (0000-0003-0620-0233, University of Haifa), Aviva Berkovich‐Ohana (0000-0003-2549-0168, University of Haifa) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-15 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ecopsychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1942-9347 • E-ISSN: 1942-9347 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/19429347261449431 |
| OpenAlex | W7161231636 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 73 |
Previous research has demonstrated via a magnetoencephalography visual mismatch response (vMMR) paradigm that prediction-based neurophysiological mechanisms shielded the self from existential threat by attributing death to the other. A failed large-scale replication attempt of the paradigm, which took place in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, serendipitously allowed an exploratory ecological investigation of whether these death-denial brain mechanisms adapted to life situations in which mortality salience critically increased. Additionally, while a link between death processing and environmental concern has been previously hypothesized in the literature, it has not been rigorously demonstrated. Fifty participants underwent the vMMR death-denial task, measures of fear and anxiety of death, measures of death-related thought and behaviors avoidance, and an environmental attitudes survey. Overall, the vMMR results’ pattern supports their interpretation as indicating that the brain’s mortality defenses were impacted by COVID-19, with some evidence further suggesting that these were re-emerging as time passed from the pandemic’s onset. Additionally, a hierarchical regression showed that measures of death avoidance and denial—on the levels of neurophysiology, thought, and behavior—predicted pro-environmental concern, but that fear and anxiety of death did not. These findings highlight the malleability of the brain’s response to existential threat under extreme real-life conditions and demonstrate their possible downstream impact on pro-environmental attitudes
Anxiety · Death anxiety · Existentialism · Exploratory research · Fear of death · Mortality salience · Perception · Terror management theory · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
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| Highly cited | No |
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