The Inevitability of Death: Mental Simulation Moderates the Effect of Death Anxiety on Older Adults’ Vulnerability to Fraud

Abstract

Death anxiety arousal is a common tactic in fraud targeting older adults; however, little is known about its impact on vulnerability to fraud and the moderating role of mental simulation. Two experiments were conducted using the mortality salience task. Experiment 1 employed a mortality salience manipulation to examine the causality of death anxiety arousal affecting older adults’ vulnerability to fraud using a behavioral experiment. Experiment 2 used the imaginary priming paradigm to manipulate different types of mental simulation to address whether mental simulation could moderate the relationship between death anxiety and vulnerability to fraud. The results showed that death anxiety significantly increased the vulnerability to fraud. Process and downward outcome simulation buffered this effect, while upward outcome simulation exacerbated it. Clinicians may focus on relieving death anxiety, decreasing upward outcome simulation, and enhancing process or downward outcome simulation as promising pathways to protect older adults against fraud.