Are you afraid of death? Do you think about it a lot, dreading that it will happen one day?

Or do you shrug and accept death as inevitable and okay?

Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Jade Wu. Every week I'll help you

meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic

ear and zero judgment. Today we talk about death anxiety. You may be surprised by the factors that subtly or not so subtly change our

attitudes toward death and we may even be able to control some of them to master our fear.

I remember having this very philosophical and psychological discussion with my family members last year

about death. And it was fascinating how

we had such different feelings. Some of us said that knowing death happens to all of

us eventually is a relief and that the idea of

immortality is terrifying. Others were astounded by this stance saying that you know they

regularly lose sleep over the thought that they will die one day

and would immediately take an immortality pill if it was offered.

Is this purely a philosophical difference?

Does it matter how we feel towards death?

Well, it turns out that how much we fear death can actually affect how we think and act in daily life. For example, a 2016 study found

that fear of death could amplify our desire for revenge and political violence. Palestinian, Israeli, and South Korean

participants were prompted to think about personal pain or death and then asked

about their opinions about how specific political conflicts should be resolved.

Those who were reminded of death were more likely to support military action,

compared to those who only thought about pain.

Fearing death also makes it harder for us to grieve. A recent study found that those who fear death were more likely to have prolonged grief symptoms

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