Effects of mortality salience on musical preferences differ by level of authoritarianism

Reminding individuals of their mortality intensifies their support for their culture, decreases their support for foreign cultures, or both (Greenberg, Solomon, & Pyszczynski, 1997). The present study extends this basic finding by examining reactions to contemporary popular music, as moderated by authoritarianism. Participants assigned to a mortality salience or a control condition evaluated excerpts from four songs: two each from their own and a foreign culture. Results revealed that mortality salience impacted the relative evaluation of the local versus foreign music only for individuals high in authoritarianism. Discussion focuses on mortality salience effects as a function of authoritarianism and musical preferences as embodying cultural values and worldviews