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Death, love, and evolution: Conceptions of death beyond terror.

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Title: Death, love, and evolution: Conceptions of death beyond terror.
Authors: Zuccala, Matteo (AUTHOR), Abbott, Maree (AUTHOR)
Source: Death Studies. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 7, p1172-1182. 11p.
Subjects: Death & psychology, Anxiety prevention, Mortality risk factors, Fear, Attitudes toward death, Attachment behavior, Culture, Sex distribution, Anxiety, Psychological adaptation, Social change, Behavior, Parenting, Psychology, Developmental psychobiology, Attitude (Psychology), Love, Theory, Concepts, Interpersonal relations, Social support, Risk perception, Sociodemographic factors, Psychological vulnerability, Thought & thinking, Suffering, Self-perception, Social classes
Abstract: Recent years have seen an influx in interest on the role of death anxiety in human behavior. Terror Management Theory prevails as the leading theoretical and empirical paradigm utilized in the literature; however emerging research has revealed serious shortcomings with the paradigm. In this paper we examine the concept of death anxiety from a socio-evolutionary perspective. We outline how the attachment system evolved to prevent death during an extended period of juvenile vulnerability and is further co-opted into adulthood to maintain survival. Through a broader understanding of contemporary evolutionary thinking, including attachment theory, we propose that the hitherto inconsistent and amorphous definition of death anxiety be more usefully re-conceptualized as a fear of premature death. We explore how this re-conceptualization can be used to help explicate phenomena that existing paradigms have until now struggled to explain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Death, love, and evolution: Conceptions of death beyond terror.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zuccala%2C+Matteo%22">Zuccala, Matteo</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abbott%2C+Maree%22">Abbott, Maree</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Death+Studies%22">Death Studies</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 7, p1172-1182. 11p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Death+%26+psychology%22">Death & psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety+prevention%22">Anxiety prevention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mortality+risk+factors%22">Mortality risk factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fear%22">Fear</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitudes+toward+death%22">Attitudes toward death</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attachment+behavior%22">Attachment behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Culture%22">Culture</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+distribution%22">Sex distribution</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anxiety%22">Anxiety</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+adaptation%22">Psychological adaptation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+change%22">Social change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Behavior%22">Behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Parenting%22">Parenting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology%22">Psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Developmental+psychobiology%22">Developmental psychobiology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitude+%28Psychology%29%22">Attitude (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Love%22">Love</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Theory%22">Theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Concepts%22">Concepts</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interpersonal+relations%22">Interpersonal relations</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+support%22">Social support</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Risk+perception%22">Risk perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sociodemographic+factors%22">Sociodemographic factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+vulnerability%22">Psychological vulnerability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thought+%26+thinking%22">Thought & thinking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Suffering%22">Suffering</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-perception%22">Self-perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+classes%22">Social classes</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Recent years have seen an influx in interest on the role of death anxiety in human behavior. Terror Management Theory prevails as the leading theoretical and empirical paradigm utilized in the literature; however emerging research has revealed serious shortcomings with the paradigm. In this paper we examine the concept of death anxiety from a socio-evolutionary perspective. We outline how the attachment system evolved to prevent death during an extended period of juvenile vulnerability and is further co-opted into adulthood to maintain survival. Through a broader understanding of contemporary evolutionary thinking, including attachment theory, we propose that the hitherto inconsistent and amorphous definition of death anxiety be more usefully re-conceptualized as a fear of premature death. We explore how this re-conceptualization can be used to help explicate phenomena that existing paradigms have until now struggled to explain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194898214
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/07481187.2025.2487768
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 1172
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Death & psychology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety prevention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mortality risk factors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Fear
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attitudes toward death
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attachment behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Culture
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex distribution
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Anxiety
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological adaptation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social change
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Parenting
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Developmental psychobiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Attitude (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Love
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Theory
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Concepts
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interpersonal relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Risk perception
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sociodemographic factors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychological vulnerability
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Thought & thinking
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Suffering
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self-perception
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social classes
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Death, love, and evolution: Conceptions of death beyond terror.
        Type: main
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            NameFull: Zuccala, Matteo
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            NameFull: Abbott, Maree
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: 2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
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              Value: 07481187
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              Value: 50
            – Type: issue
              Value: 7
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            – TitleFull: Death Studies
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