Page 18 - June 2020 Hernando
P. 18
18 • SEPTEMBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Hernando County Health Connections
18 • SEPTEMBER 2020 - Senior Voice of Hernando County
DYING “social connectedness.” That
continued from page 17 is, people facing death alone
Senior Voice were more surprising, both will likely feel differently
from those surrounded by
News Publications Maddux and Gray said. family and friends.
In a separate experiment, Basic personality matters,
To advertise, please contact: Gray’s team had 150 people too, Maddux said. “Some
Shelley Ketchum imagine they were death-row people, by nature, are more
inmates facing execution.
pessimistic and prone to
813-334-9493 They then composed their depression,” he explained.
“final words.” “That will affect how they
seniorvoiceshelley@gmail.com The researchers compared face death, too.”
those statements against But in general, Maddux and
Jim Vavala the last words from inmates Gray said, death may be
executed in Texas since 1982.
352-277-6309 Again, the people actually less scary than many people
think.
seniorvoice99@gmail.com facing death voiced a brighter That’s important in a world
outlook, the findings showed.
where doctors often take
Over 50,000 copies distributed “It was striking how positive “heroic measures” to prolong
every month in Citrus the inmates were,” Gray severely ill patients’ lives,
and Hernando Counties! said. “They made statements Gray said.
about feeling love, and even
optimism about the future.” Maddux agreed. “This
relates to our obsession with
It’s not clear how well those extending life at all costs,” he
blog posts and final words said.
Your Pathway to reflect what most people
the Senior Market! experience as death nears. “Those heroic measures
are often taken not for the
“Of course, people who patient, but for their loved
choose to blog may be ones,” Maddux said. “But if
different from those who you know that death is not
don’t,” Maddux said. as scary for the dying person
They may, in fact, be more as it is for you, then maybe
positive, he suggested. you’ll be more willing to let
Gray agreed. But he also them go when it’s time.”
pointed to the death-row SOURCES: Kurt Gray,
inmates as a counter- Ph.D., assistant professor,
argument. “It’s not clear that department of psychology
death-row inmates would feel and neuroscience, University
pressure to be positive before of North Carolina-Chapel
they’re executed,” he said. Hill; James Maddux, Ph.D.,
As in all of life, though, senior scholar, Center for
people will vary in how they the Advancement of Well-
feel as death approaches, Being, George Mason
Gray said. University, Fairfax, Va.;
, Psychological Science,
Religious beliefs undoubtedly online
matter, he noted, as does
