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SHELDON SOLOMON: Can we gamify all the denial around us and save humanity?*

Apr 28, 2026

Guest

Sheldon Solomon

Sheldon Solomon, social psychologist who co-developed terror management theory, explores how our fear of death shapes culture. He talks about how mortality awareness fuels tribalism or radical compassion. Conversations cover why death denial drives politics and consumerism, practical interventions for leaders, and everyday practices—like walking, rituals and community—that soften defensive fear and open paths to cooperation.

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INSIGHT

Culture As An Immortality Project

Human culture functions as an immortality project that buffers existential terror by offering meaning, moral rules and hope of symbolic continuity.
Sheldon Solomon traces this to Ernest Becker: cultures reduce death anxiety by inflating worldviews and individual self-esteem, which people defend when threatened.

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ANECDOTE

Lab Demo Of Death Reminders Driving Tribalism

Simple lab studies show that reminding Christians of mortality increased liking for Christians and dislike for Jews, demonstrating mortality salience increases in-group favoritism.
Solomon reports the effect replicated across countries and contexts, including Germans distancing from Turkish-looking people after death reminders.

insights

INSIGHT

Death Anxiety Fuels Authoritarian Appeals

Mortality salience increases support for charismatic or authoritarian leaders because people cling to larger-than-life figures during upheaval.
Solomon cites post-9/11 surge in George W. Bush approval and experimental boosts in support for Trump after death reminders.

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Why death denial shapes human culture

04:01 • 10min

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Empirical tests of terror management theory

13:43 • 7min

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Death reminders shift politics and behaviour

20:52 • 2min

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Historical analogy and hope amid crisis

22:40 • 6min

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Why societies tip toward compassion or fascism

28:49 • 7min

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Who responds differently to mortality salience

35:43 • 4min

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Why evolution left us vulnerable to death anxiety

39:22 • 5min

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Can we break the death-denial spiral?

44:18 • 5min

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Practical interventions leaders can use

49:17 • 4min

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Everyday practices that reduce defensive fear

53:31 • 3min

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Indigenous and egalitarian alternatives

56:43 • 3min

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Normalizing expansive, communal worldviews

01:00:03 • 2min

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Small acts and 'milling around' as remedy

01:02:09 • 3min

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Personal practice: walking and attention

01:05:00 • 2min

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Hopeful final synthesis and call to action

• Mentioned in 63 episodes

• Mentioned in 28 episodes

The Tyranny of Merit

What's Become of the Common Good?

Michael Sandel

In 'The Tyranny of Merit', Michael J. Sandel argues that the current system of meritocracy has led to significant social and political issues. He contends that meritocracy stratifies society into winners and losers, based largely on economic status and educational credentials, resulting in hubris among the successful and resentment and humiliation among those who are not. Sandel suggests that this system ignores the role of luck and external factors in success and instead attributes success solely to individual talent and hard work. He advocates for a new way of thinking about success, one that is more attentive to the role of luck, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of all work. The book also explores the impact of credentialism and the need to restore dignity to work that does not require a college degree, promoting a politics of the common good.

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• Mentioned in 7 episodes

The worm at the core

Sheldon Solomon

The Worm at the Core, co-authored by Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski, delves into the profound impact of death anxiety on human actions. Drawing from extensive research, it reveals how the fear of mortality shapes our pursuit of self-esteem and cultural values, and offers insights into leading more meaningful lives. The book builds upon terror management theory, which posits that humans cope with death awareness by seeking significance and stability through cultural and personal beliefs.

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• Mentioned in 71 episodes

The Dawn of Everything

A New History of Humanity

David Wengrow

David Graeber

This book offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging fundamental assumptions about social evolution, the development of agriculture, cities, the state, democracy, and inequality. Graeber and Wengrow argue that traditional theories of human history, such as those posited by Hobbes and Rousseau, are not supported by anthropological or archaeological evidence. Instead, they show that humans have lived in large, complex, but decentralized societies for millennia, often without ruling elites or hierarchical systems. The authors draw on extensive research in archaeology and anthropology to reveal a history that is more varied and hopeful than previously assumed, emphasizing human experimentation with different social arrangements and the potential for new forms of freedom and societal organization.

#11277

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

Escape from Evil

Ernest Becker

In 'Escape from Evil', Ernest Becker delves into the underlying causes of human evil, arguing that the fear of death and the desire for immortality are central to human behavior. The book examines how humans have historically sought to transcend death through various cultural and societal mechanisms, such as hero systems, scapegoating, and the creation of myths and religions. Becker critiques the heroic dynamics within societies and the expiation of guilt, highlighting how these mechanisms often lead to violence and suffering. Written as Becker was dying, the book is a culmination of his career and offers a synthesis of scientific and philosophical perspectives on the human condition.

#373

• Mentioned in 81 episodes

The Denial of Death

Ernest Becker

In 'The Denial of Death', Ernest Becker discusses the psychological and philosophical implications of how people and cultures react to the concept of death. He argues that human civilization is a defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality, and that this denial is a necessary component of functioning in the world. Becker's work challenges traditional Freudian thought by positing that the primary repression is not sexuality, but rather the awareness of death. He also explores how this fear of death leads to the creation of 'hero systems' and symbols that help individuals transcend their mortality, and how this can result in violence and conflict when different immortality projects clash.

Dr Sheldon Solomon (psychologist, founder of terror management theory) has spent 45 years proving that our fear of death is responsible for the structures of civilisation, such as religion, education, our moral laws, myths, consumerism, distraction technologies etc. Such structures keep us from being (fatally) overwhelmed by the uniquely human awareness that we will die one day. But what happens in a moment like this one, when so much death and annihilation looms? Well, our seductive death-denial efforts can drag us either way – into a tribal, fascist, self-destructive descent, or toward radical compassion and a life-affirming future.

In this episode, I ask Sheldon to tell me how we (all of us here) can use his terror management theory to urgently steer things to the latter. This chat goes into juicy, philosophical territory but emerges with beautifully tangible answers for everyone in the “collapse aware” space. It’s a fun one!

*Hint: yes, it would appear we can!

About Sheldon

Sheldon Solomon is a professor of psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. Solomon is best known for co-developing “terror management theory” and is the co-author of Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror and The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life. Sheldon is also an American Psychological Society Fellow.

Show notes

You can get hold of Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror and The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life here

You might also like to listen to this Wild episode with “death walker” Stephen Jenkinson, which also goes into some of the themes in this chat.

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