Attending Your Own Funeral: Effects of a Brief ACT-Based Eulogy-Writing Exercise on Delay Discounting, Psychological Flexibility, and Value Clarity
Eulogy writing exercises are used in clinical and research settings, yet they have received limited empirical testing in controlled experimental designs. The Attending Your Own Funeral (AYOF) task, drawn from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, was compared with a matched neutral-writing control in undergraduate participants (N = 103) randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. AYOF was hypothesized to reduce delay discounting (H1), increase psychological flexibility (H2), and increase value clarity (H3) relative to control. These outcomes were assessed pre- and post-task using the Monetary Choice Questionnaire, the Personalized Psychological Flexibility Index, and the Value Clarity Questionnaire, respectively. Two-by-two mixed ANOVAs revealed no support for H1 or H3, and a statistically significant reverse-direction interaction for H2, with Control participants showing a small relative increase in psychological flexibility. AYOF participants reported significantly greater perceived value clarity. Findings motivate baseline-controlled analyses, refined control conditions, and longer follow-up windows.
mortality salience, mortality awareness, delay discounting, psychological flexibility, value clarity, eulogy writing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Attending Your Own Funeral
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