The Effect of Mortality Salience on Relationship Commitment in Interfaith Relationships

Event Center BC

Religious membership is a major aspect of people’s social and moral identity; therefore, interfaith relationships involve individuals mated to someone who is an out-group member. Mortality salience increases derogation toward out-group members, and increases in-group bias. However, mortality salience also increases romantic relationship commitment. We hypothesized that religious similarity would moderate the relationship between mortality salience and relationship attitudes. Specifically, we expected that the more similar romantic partners are in religion, the more relationship commitment and satisfaction they will report in response to a mortality salience prime. Participants (N = 100) were religious and in committed romantic relationships. They rated their religious similarity to their partner and were randomly assigned to a control condition (wrote about taking an exam) or a mortality salience condition (wrote about their own death) and completed relationship satisfaction and commitment measures. Results increase our understanding the mechanisms that influence relationship satisfaction and outcomes.