{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,18]],"date-time":"2026-05-18T10:42:56Z","timestamp":1779100976914,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2013,11,4]],"date-time":"2013-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1383523200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Psychol Sci"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Individuals with low (rather than high) self-esteem often struggle with existential concerns. In the present research, we examined whether these existential concerns may be alleviated by seemingly trivial experiences of both real and simulated interpersonal touch. A brief touch on the shoulder by a female experimenter led individuals with low self-esteem to experience less death anxiety (Study 1) and more social connectedness after a death reminder (Study 2). Reminding individuals with low self-esteem of death increased their desire for touch, as indicated by higher value estimates of a teddy bear, a toy animal that simulates interpersonal touch (Study 3). Finally, holding a teddy bear (vs. a cardboard box) led individuals with low self-esteem to respond to a death reminder with less defensive ethnocentrism (Study 4). Individuals with high self-esteem were unaffected by touch (Studies 1\u20134). These findings highlight the existential significance of embodied touch experiences, particularly for individuals with low self-esteem.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0956797613483478","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,11,4]],"date-time":"2013-11-04T23:15:50Z","timestamp":1383606950000},"page":"30-37","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":60,"title":["Embodied Terror Management"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Sander L.","family":"Koole","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"VU University Amsterdam"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mandy","family":"Tjew A Sin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VU University Amsterdam"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Iris K.","family":"Schneider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"VU University Amsterdam"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2013,11,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0956797613483478","volume-title":"Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions","author":"Aiken L. 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L. (2013). That human touch that means so much: Exploring the tactile dimension of social life. In-Mind Magazine, 17. Retrieved from http:\/\/beta.in-mind.org\/issue-17\/human-touch-means-so-much-exploring-tactile-dimension-social-life"},{"key":"bibr21-0956797613483478","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/0022-3514.84.3.511"}],"container-title":["Psychological Science"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0956797613483478","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0956797613483478","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0956797613483478","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T21:22:42Z","timestamp":1777670562000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0956797613483478"}},"subtitle":["Interpersonal Touch Alleviates Existential Concerns Among Individuals With Low Self-Esteem"],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2013,11,4]]},"references-count":21,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0956797613483478"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0956797613483478","relation":{},"ISSN":["0956-7976","1467-9280"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0956-7976","type":"print"},{"value":"1467-9280","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2013,11,4]]}}}