Windows into nothingness: Terror management, meaninglessness, and negative reactions to modern art

Mark J. Landau; Jeff Greenberg; Sheldon Solomon; Tom Pyszczynski; Andy Martens

doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.6.879

Windows into nothingness: Terror management, meaninglessness, and negative reactions to modern art

Mark J. Landau, Jeff Greenberg, Sheldon Solomon, Tom Pyszczynski, Andy Martens

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

159 Scopus citations

Abstract

Why do people dislike art that they find meaningless? According to terror management theory, maintaining a basic meaningful view of reality is a key prerequisite for managing concerns about mortality. Therefore, mortality salience should decrease liking for apparently meaningless art, particularly among those predisposed to unambiguous knowledge. Accordingly, mortality salience diminished affection for modern art in Study 1, and this effect was shown in Study 2 to be specific to individuals with a high personal need for structure (PNS). In Studies 3 and 4, mortality salient high-PNS participants disliked modern art unless it was imbued with meaning, either by means of a title or a personal frame of reference induction. Discussion focused on the roles of meaninglessness, PNS, and art in terror management.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	879-892
Number of pages	14
Journal	Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Volume	90
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.6.879
State	Published - Jun 2006

Keywords

Aesthetic judgments
Art
Meaning
Need for structure
Terror management

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Sociology and Political Science

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10.1037/0022-3514.90.6.879

Cite this

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Windows into nothingness: Terror management, meaninglessness, and negative reactions to modern art

Abstract

Keywords

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