The secret to Trump’s success? It’s sheer existential dread | Sheldon Solomon

Authoritarian populist leaders thrive on the fear of death - as we've been able to show in carefully controlled experiments

In a recent experiment, American participants were asked: "Please describe the emotions that the thought of your own death arouses in you" and "Write down as specifically as you can what you think will happen to you physically as you die and once you are dead." Moments later, those who had been asked to contemplate their mortality reported more negative attitudes towards immigrants, greater opposition to a mosque being built in their neighbourhood, and a greater likelihood of voting for Donald Trump for president.

What could possibly explain these findings?