The role of perceived harm in moralizing health

People moralize health conditions and behaviors. Plentiful examples—both historical and current—support this notion, but little empirical work has examined moralization in this domain. Working from the Theory of Dyadic Morality, which emphasizes the key role of harm in our moral cognitions, I hypothesize that perceiving harm is key in moralizing health targets—where perceived harm is high, moralization will also be high; where perceived harm is low, moralization will also be low. Here, I present six studies to examine the role of harm in moralizing health conditions and associated behaviors. I test this by manipulating level of harm (Study 1), by comparing moralization across moral, health, and neutral targets (Study 2), by examining correlations between moralization and harms across a wider variety of health behaviors (Study 3), by manipulating responsibility and moral patient (Study 4), by examining whether harm is a predictor of moralization and moral judgment in COVID-19 related judgments (Study 5), and by examining expressed harm and moralization in statements about COVID-19 across US States (Study 6). Finding that perceiving harm contributes to moralizing within health-related targets would expand scientific understanding of how or when moralization occurs in health-related targets.Doctor of Philosoph

Dying is unexpectedly positive

In people’s imagination, dying seems dreadful; however, these perceptions may not reflect reality. In two studies, we compared the affective experience of people facing imminent death with that of people imagining imminent death. Study 1 revealed that blog posts of near-death patients with cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were more positive and less negative than the simulated blog posts of nonpatients—and also that the patients’ blog posts became more positive as death neared. Study 2 revealed that the last words of death-row inmates were more positive and less negative than the simulated last words of noninmates—and also that these last words were less negative than poetry written by death-row inmates. Together, these results suggest that the experience of dying—even because of terminal illness or execution—may be more pleasant than one imagines.Master of Art

Dying Is Unexpectedly Positive

In people's imagination, dying seems dreadful; however, these perceptions may not reflect reality. In two studies, we compared the affective experience of people facing imminent death with that of people imagining imminent death. Study 1 revealed that blog posts of near-death patients with cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were more positive and less negative than the simulated blog posts of nonpatients-and also that the patients' blog posts became more positive as death neared. Study 2 revealed that the last words of death-row inmates were more positive and less negative than the simulated last words of noninmates-and also that these last words were less negative than poetry written by death-row inmates. Together, these results suggest that the experience of dying-even because of terminal illness or execution-may be more pleasant than one imagines

Dying Is Unexpectedly Positive

In people's imagination, dying seems dreadful; however, these perceptions may not reflect reality. In two studies, we compared the affective experience of people facing imminent death with that of people imagining imminent death. Study 1 revealed that blog posts of near-death patients with cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were more positive and less negative than the simulated blog posts of nonpatients-and also that the patients' blog posts became more positive as death neared. Study 2 revealed that the last words of death-row inmates were more positive and less negative than the simulated last words of noninmates-and also that these last words were less negative than poetry written by death-row inmates. Together, these results suggest that the experience of dying-even because of terminal illness or execution-may be more pleasant than one imagines