Method Design 2 prime type (MS vs. Pain) x 3 age of object (New vs. 20 years vs. 100 years) Participants N = 288 Mturk workers males, age: M = years, SD = years Procedure After providing informed consent, participants completed various premeasures in order to bolster the cover story and for data exploration, followed by the tasks in the order below. Mortality salience (MS) Participants responded to open-ended questions about death or pain according to random assignment (Rosenblatt, 1989). For example: “Please briefly describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you.” Distractor task Participants then completed the 60-item positive and negative affect schedule and read a short neutral story to provide the necessary delay to allow participant engagement in culture- oriented buffers (Greenberg et al., 2000). Object value task Participants were shown 6 objects (pen, watch, chair, umbrella, mug, and a journal) that were either new, 20 years old, or 100 years old depending on random assignment and then responded to the following questions: “How much would you pay for this item?” (WTP; open ended) “How much do you want to own this item?” (1 = not at all, 7 = very much so) “How valuable do you think this item is?” (1 = not at all valuable, 7 = extremely valuable) Painting task Similar to Eidelman et al. (2010; study 3), participants were shown a relatively unknown painting with a purported age varying according to condition. This was presented in counterbalanced order with the object value task, but results mirrored that of the WTP item and is not mentioned further. Antique value/Demographics Lastly, participants were asked about basic demographics and how much they value antiques generally. Valuing the Longevity of Objects to Escape Death Introduction Longevity bias Also known as the longer-is-better effect (LIB), longevity bias refers people more positively evaluating things the longer they have existed (Eidelman, Pattershall, & Crandall, 2010). For example, when university requirements, acupuncture, abstract art, a tree, or chocolate are presented as existing for longer periods of time (e.g. 73 years vs 3 years), they are more positively evaluated. Researchers explain that these findings are a result of heuristic processing that associates longevity with goodness. Terror management theory Terror management theory (TMT; Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986) is derived from the woks of cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker (1973). The theory posits that humans are disposed toward self-preservation but with he knowledge of unavoidable mortality contend with potentially paralyzing anxiety. Humans manage this potential anxiety by investing in an enduring cultural conception of reality and striving to meet the values prescribed by this view of the world. By engaging in this process one can hope to transcend death through either literal or symbolic means. Current Study The present research was an investigation into the possibility that the longevity of older objects is viewed as having a quality of permanence or robustness against decay and destruction, and therefore valued as a symbol of death transcendence. If so, then reminders of death (mortality salience; MS) should exacerbate the longevity bias and result in an even greater preference for older objects. Results Composite scores for two dependent variables were calculated by adding the evaluations of all 6 objects together for the WTP measure (α =.58) and the other two items (α =.84) forming an index of object valuation. The item assessing general antique valuation was not affected by the manipulations (ps >.76), and subsequently applied as a covariate, though primary effects remained significant after removal as well. 2 x 3 ANCOVA on WTP composite measure Main effect of age F(2, 281) = 8.47, p <.001; participants were willing to pay more for the 100 yr old objects than the 20 yr old (p <.001) and new (p <.01) objects, which were not different form each other (p =.40). All other main and interactive effects were non-significant (ps >.17). 2 x 3 ANCOVA on object valuation composite Main effect of age F(2, 281) = 9.56, p <.001; 100 yr old objects were valued higher than 20 yr old (p =.001) and new (p <.001) objects, which were not different from each other (p =.40). Interaction between prime type and age F(2, 281) = 4.87, p =.01; those in the MS condition valued 20 yr old objects more than new objects (p =.04), and 100 yr old objects more than both 20 yr old (p <.01) and new objects (p <.001). MS x Age on Object Valuation Reminders of mortality (vs. pain) resulted in a marginal lesser valuation of objects that were new, t(96)= -1.89, p =.06, no difference for 20 yr old items, t(95)= 1.15, p =.25, but greater valuation of 100 yr old objects, t(91)= 2.38, p =.02 Discussion The LIB effect was replicated in part from participants indicating a greater WTP for and assigning more value to older objects than newer objects generally. Also, mortality reminders enhanced the valuation of older objects, implicating an existential motivation for the preference of older objects – perhaps due to the symbolic death transcendence related to the perceived permanence of objects that have stood the test of time. Limitations Although promising, limitations and alternative explanations have not been ruled out by this single study. Specifically, the lack of an interaction on the WTP item suggests there might be undiscovered differences related to existential security which might account for the effect on object valuation failing to cross over into financial expenditure. Additionally, given LIB is a heuristic, it may be that MS boosted this effect due to an increased reliance on heuristic processing generally, instead of increasing the value of older objects for their qualities associated with death-transcendence. Conclusion Despite these limitations, these findings and conceptual inferences open doors to a unique understanding of consumer decisions and the existential appeal of aged objects in particular. It is interesting to note that companies regularly display the phrase “Established ####” – perhaps utilizing the deep-rooted knowledge of inevitable mortality that exacerbates the desire to obtain objects which convey a tenacity against death and decay. References Becker, E. (1973). The denial of death. New York: Free Press. Eidelman, S., Pattershall, J., & Crandall, C. S. (2010). Longer is better. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, Greenberg, J., Arndt, J., Simon, L., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (2000). Proximal and distal defenses in response to reminders of one's mortality: Evidence of a temporal sequence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., & Solomon, S. (1986). The causes and consequences of a need for self- esteem: a terror management theory. In R. F. Baumeister (Ed.), Public self and private self (pp ). New York: Springer-Verlag. Rosenblatt, A., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Pyszczynski, T., & Lyon, D. (1989). Evidence for terror management theory I: The effects of mortality salience on reactions to those who violate or uphold cultural values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference. January 28, San Diego, California, USA. Contact: Michael Bultmann, Department of Psychological Sciences, 304 Psychology Building, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, Michael Bultmann 1, Simon McCabe 2, Melissa Spina 1, & Jamie Arndt 1 1 University of Missouri-Columbia; 2 University of Stirling Age in years