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August 14, 2025 48 mins

Contemplating death is often seen as grim, but emerging research reveals that it can actually enhance our happiness and well-being! So, in this episode of Sero Boost: The Happiness Science Insights Podcast, host Marie Stella consults social scientist Kimberly Wade-Benzoni on the psychological benefits of facing our mortality, in a world that often evades the topic.

An internationally recognized leading scholar on the topic of intergenerational decisions and the psychology of legacies, Kimberly Wade-Benzoni is a Professor of Management & Organizations and Center of Leadership and Ethics Scholar at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Impressively, Kimberly Wade-Benzoni’s research has been widely published in prominent management and psychology journals.

In this episode, Kimberly Wade-Benzoni emphasizes the importance of discussing and understanding mortality awareness, revealing the psychological benefits of confronting mortality. Additionally, she reveals that life-threatening events have shown to instill gratitude and contribute to happiness.

Together, Marie and Kimberly Wade-Benzoni discuss the potential struggles individuals face when confronting mortality, and exchange effective practices and habits for reflecting on mortality. So, tune in this week for an incredibly insightful episode on how confronting mortality can contribute to happiness!

Follow Kimberly Wade-Benzoni’s work via the following platforms: Duke University: https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/faculty/kimberly-wade-benzoni The Hot and Cool of Death Awareness at Work: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/211386783_The_hot_and_cool_of_death_awareness_at_work_Mortality_cues_aging_and_self-protective_and_prosocial_motivations

Produced by the Happiness Science Labs, a division of LMSL, the Life Management Science Labs. 

Explore LMSL at https://lifemanagementsciencelabs.com/ and visit http://ha.lmsl.net/ for additional information about Happiness Science Labs.

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