2026/03/02 by Matthew I. Billet, Cindel White, Azim Shariff +1 · 1 voice
Psychology · Neuroscience · #Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion #Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment #Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
paper · doi:10.1037/pspi0000519
openalex publication_date 2026/03/02 · openalex created_date 2026/03/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
= 1,409) that establish a psychological framework for end of world beliefs. A measure of end of world beliefs was created and validated across six religious populations (Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and nonreligious). We find that end of world beliefs are common, vary along psychologically meaningful dimensions, and are uniquely predictive of people's risk perception, risk tolerance, and willingness to support extreme action to address the five most pressing global existential risks (i.e., economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal, and technological). Results are interpreted in light of current models of risk perception and the cultural evolution of worldviews. Aligning with sociological and historical accounts, we argue that belief in apocalyptic narratives-irrespective of their accuracy-is consequential for how populations confront concrete risks, including those that threaten humanity today. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).