The thought of shuffling off our mortal coil can make all of us a little squeamish. But avoiding the idea of death entirely means ignoring the role it can play in determining our actions. Consider the following scenario:

You’re visiting a friend who lives on the 20th floor of an old inner-city apartment building. It’s the middle of the night when you are suddenly awakened from a deep sleep by the sound of screams and the choking smell of smoke. You reach over to the nightstand and turn on the light. You are shocked to find the room filling fast with thick clouds of smoke. You run to the door and reach for the handle. You pull back in pain as the intense heat of the knob scalds you violently. Grabbing a blanket off the bed and using it as protection, you manage to turn the handle and open the door. Almost immediately a huge wave of flame and smoke roars into the room, knocking you back and literally off your feet. There is no way to leave the room. It is getting very hard to breathe, and the heat from the flames is almost unbearable. Panicked, you scramble to the only window in the room and try to open it. As you struggle, you realize the old window is painted shut around all the edges. It doesn’t budge. Your eyes are barely open now, filled with tears from the smoke. You try calling out for help, but the air to form the words is not there. You drop to the floor, hoping to escape the rising smoke, but it is too late. The room is filled top to bottom with thick fumes and is nearly entirely in flames. With your heart pounding, it suddenly hits you, as time seems to stand still, that you are literally moments away from dying. The inevitable unknown that was always waiting for you has finally arrived. Out of breath and weak, you shut your eyes and wait for the end.

Yipes! What an excruciating and terrifying way to go. If you’re like me, you experienced a moment of panic reading that passage. But relax—you’re okay. The above scenario is just an experimental manipulation, one meant to jump-start your existential mind.

Or one of your two existential minds—if an emerging theory is correct. Psychological scientists Laura E. R. Blackie and Philip J. Cozzolino of the University of Essex in England have been exploring the idea that we are all governed by two disparate existential systems, each with its own distinct method of processing the idea of death. Both existential minds have the power to meaningfully change our attitudes and actions, but they work in very different—almost opposite—ways.

Of Two Minds
One of our systems of existential thinking responds to the abstract concept of dying, so that even subtle everyday reminders of death, such as driving past a cemetery, prime the mind to ward off existential terror. This system tends to bolster our already existing beliefs, both religious and cultural, as a way of affirming life. For instance, studies have shown that after people reflect on what will happen when they die, they become more nationalistic and defensive about their political beliefs.

The second existential system is vivid, concrete and highly personal; it is triggered not by subtle and abstract thoughts but by actually coming face to face with death. When this system is primed into action—as the above apartment fire scenario is meant to do—our very personal sense of mortality can lead us to reexamine our priorities in life, to become more grateful and to grow spiritually. Soldiers who have seen combat and people who have lived through life-threatening illnesses often report these shifts in attitude.

Priority Shifts
Therefore, some thoughts of death shore up our beliefs, and other types of reflection make us reexamine them. Which kind leads to a better life? For their experiment, Blackie and Cozzolino recruited volunteers aged 17 to 76 and primed them in different ways. Some answered open-ended questions about death, to remind them of their mortality in a general way, whereas others imagined they were trapped and dying in the burning apartment by reading the paragraph above. Another group, the control subjects, thought about going to the dentist—unpleasant but not life-threatening. Then they all read one of two fake news stories. One story said that blood donations were at “record lows” and thus the need for blood donations was high. The other said the opposite, that supplies were at “record highs,” so the need for donations was low. Finally, the researchers gave all the participants the opportunity to volunteer as blood donors.

7 Comments

1. 1. Durazac 10:49 AM 2/6/12

   That was a somewhat interesting article. I am one of those lucky (unlucky by some accounts) that while I am not in the emergency services field, I tend to be in the wrong place and the wrong time. I have witnessed a lot death, some of it grisly, bloody and altogether horrifying - and I have performed emergency CPR for extended periods. I also skydive, SCUBA dive and enjoy taking risks (though less so as I age). I have more than once, been sure death was around the corner.
   
   1> I give blood, platelets, and plasma regularly and more so all time.
   2> I frequently have to remind my family and children that blood, people and our parts are not "gross" but the stuff of life and fascinating in their function.
   
   I think what I am trying to say is: My experience matches what this article claims. I do fear death - terrified of it - and after seeing the ugly part of death am certain I want to help others avoid it. It has also driven me to be more conservative and nationalistic - more so than most here. Lastly I find that lots of experience with death has made simple decision making easier - though that is a tenuous claim I am sure.

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2. 2. Spin-oza 11:09 AM 2/6/12

   Interesting subject... but designing experiments to test psychological hypotheses is difficult at best... and drawing psycho-social conclusions even more tenuous.
   
   It goes without saying that every person alive is not only on a journey toward death... duh... but there are daily reminders of our mortality, and thus, we have conscious and subconscious "coping" stategies.
   
   One interesting facet of "modern" life is that we are generally divorced from the "blood and gore" of our "primitive" forebears... those that hunted daily and battled as tribes, up close and personal. It is far more abstract now... except in 3rd world countries... and some ghettos.
   
   Anyway... i think it is absolutely important to come to terms with our mortality. I'm a naturalist and have find no evidence whatsoever for either a soul... or some ethereal immortality... much less a supernatural being in an evolving Cosmos. I periodically examine my life and if i have any anxiety about death... i try to remedy that.
   
   My philosophy is summed up by Epicurus:
   
   "Death is nothing to us... when we are, death has not come... when death has come, we are not".

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3. 3. pinetree 03:46 PM 2/6/12

   There is good reason that those of us who have had a near death experiences are often lumped in with those who have had profound spiritual episodes. Having experienced complete cardiac arrest while fully conscious in a life and death setting, I can verify the experience reported by the "extensional conceptualizers".
   
   Although I did not realize it at the time, having previously meditated upon the world 20 years after my death had helped prepare me to encounter as close to the end as you can get and still pull back. [Answer in my case: the universe will not fall apart without me, by in large it will do what it already was going to do.]
   
   I can also report, as have others, that upon the heart ceasing to beat, there is no desire to breath either. Apparently urge to breath is coupled with heart beat. So, the experience is incredibly calm. Apparently it takes a beating heart to really panic. You don't realize how much noise is caused by having to circulate blood and the act breathing until it all stops. Mind you this lasted only 5 seconds or so before successful restart of heart rhythm or this story could not have been told first hand. Even so it was a quite awhile before I was out of the woods.
   
   As an active biological entity am I still terrified of going back towards the edge of death, but I have no concern whatsoever of being afraid when once again I have to accept arrival at death's door. This would seem consistent with the dual existential mind theory. By its very nature dying is an act of living, the final one, and it is possible to live well by dying well. Personally I would prefer to only do dying twice if I am given the choice.
   
   What happens after dying completes, I have no idea. Before this experience, I went with hypotheses of presumed likelihood but came out absolutely not knowing. And that's good, because I also truly learned you can not fear what you do not know, only what you think you know. Religions that emphasize life after death may actually be causing more worry than relieving it.

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4. 4. Diesel67 05:47 PM 2/6/12

   A news story claiming there was no need for blood should be recognized as false, at least in the New York area. Blood is ALWAYS needed, even when there is no critical shortage.
   After 9/11, we New Yorkers reexamined our priorities. People that never gave blood before did. I give regularly and had done so less than eight weeks before, so I couldn't. I did join the board of my neighborhood civic organization, where I still serve. And we got more "patriotic"; if I wasn't pushing 50 I might have joined the Army to go kick some butt. Question: We still have enemies, and they're still trying to do us harm. Where's the anger? Why have we forgotten so soon?

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5. 5. aidel 07:51 PM 2/6/12

   I'm a critical care nurse and have seen more death than most people can imagine (it's sort of like being a soldier...the only people who really understand what this feels like are other health care workers working in critical areas). I would like to suggest that there is also an element of "bargaining" going on with the people who give blood, maybe even unconsciously. When you are exposed to a lot of death (and blood and gore), you really think about it a lot, like ALL THE TIME. It's tough.

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6. 6. Joseph C Moore, Cpo USN Ret 05:08 PM 2/8/12

   Many years ago I was riding my motorcycle on a main divided road when an approaching car that had decided to make an abrupt left turn at an intersection crossed in front of me. I did an instinctive "stoppy" going up on the front wheel of the bike , but was too close to avoid hitting the car. I hit the rear quarter panel and was catapulted over the rear window/ trunk of the car. As I flew through the air, my thoughts were of my young children and I knew that my estranged wife would pick them up (I had custody)and take care of them if I were not to survive. My thoughts were calm and coherent with a multitude of hypotheses of how this incident would play out. Fortunately, when I hit the pave, I rolled and ended up in a sitting position with some broken bones and sprains but not dead. I found it incredible, the multiplicity of thoughts that went through my mind in the scant second or so of air time. There was no fear of my impending demise or the outcome for my children if I was killed. I never experienced more than a minor amount of anxiety on how to contact my children. I wonder about others in similar situations.

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7. 7. rwstutler 07:26 PM 2/10/12

   One might imagine a single person experiencing an intense life threatening experience at one age with the 'aha' re-evaluation moment, but the same person, at a later age with no recent intense experiences having very different feelings when thinking about mortality. 2 minds indeed.

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