Does leaving a legacy help us cope with mortality? Israeli study examines mental health link

NOVEMBER 14, 2026 08:05The Jewish remembrance prayer Yizkor, a special memorial invocation for the departed, is recited in the synagogue four times a year, following the Torah reading on the last day of Passover, the second day of Shavuot, Shmini Atzeret, and Yom Kippur.Yizkor means “remember.” It’s not only the first word of the prayer; those who recite it ask God to remember the souls of our relatives and friends who have passed on.Thus, they renew and strengthen the connection between themselves and their loved ones, bringing merit to the departed souls and elevating them in their celestial homes.After reciting it, one makes a private pledge to give charity following the holiday in honor of the deceased as a positive physical deed in this world that the departed can no longer perform.But how do we face our own mortality and not just those of our loved ones who have passed away? What does it mean to feel that a part of us will live on after we are gone?DR. URI LIFSHIN (credit: HU-ICAMH)A new Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) study of 3,000 Israeli Jews found that people who believed they would be remembered by others tended to report better mental health, a stronger sense of meaning, and lower levels of problematic substance use and addictive behaviors.The findings point to a possible connection between our sense of lasting significance and the way we cope with stress, uncertainty, and mortality – and provide consolation.Most of us realize that one day we will die. Some people find this thought frightening, others avoid thinking about it, and some devote their lives to building something they hope will outlast them.Most people, at some point, wonder what will remain of them after they are gone. Will their family remember them, and will things they created, taught, or contributed continue to matter?Researchers led by Dr. Uri Lifshin, Prof. Mario Mikulincer, and Dr. Dvora Shmulewitz from the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICAMH) and HUJI’s department of psychology suggest this deeply human desire may be linked to mental health.Researchers found that people who more strongly believed they would be remembered after death also tended to report better mental health and lower levels of problematic substance use and addictive behaviors.The study was published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction and titled “Symbolic immortality, mental health, and addictions: A terror management perspective.”Symbolic immortality is defined by psychologists as the sense that some part of us will continue through our relationships, identity, accomplishments, or legacy.The team found that those with a stronger sense of symbolic immortality tended to report greater self-esteem, stronger social support, more meaning in life, and more secure relationships.They also reported fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, sleep problems, and difficulties regulating their emotions. The pattern was repeated regarding addictive behaviors, said Lifshin.DR. DVORA SHMUELWITZ (credit: HU-ICAMH)The belief of being rememberedAlthough others have studied symbolic immortality, the connection between it and addictions had not been investigated.A stronger belief that one would be remembered was linked with lower levels of problematic alcohol, cannabis, and prescription drug use, as well as lower levels of problematic gambling, gaming, using cannabis or other drugs, pornography use, compulsive sexual behavior, and the use of social media and the Internet, he continued.Although these correlations were generally modest to small, they were consistent across a broad range of mental health and addiction-related outcomes.“The feeling that our lives matter and will continue to matter to other people may be an important part of how we cope with uncertainty and the knowledge of our own mortality,” said Lifshin in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.“Our findings suggest that feeling connected to others, having meaning in life and believing that something of us will remain may go hand in hand with better mental health and fewer problematic addictive behaviors.”The idea is simple: “People may cope better when they feel that their lives have meaning beyond the present moment.“Psychologists have long argued that people cope with the awareness of mortality by building a sense of meaning, belonging and continuity. Relationships, community, personal achievements, and identity can all contribute to the feeling that one’s life extends beyond the individual,” they said.The study was conducted during an especially difficult period: February 2025, during Operation Swords of Iron.Participants were asked whether they believed other people would remember them after they died, for example through their accomplishments or legacy. They also completed measures of mental health, substance use, behavioral addictions, social support, self-esteem, and meaning in life.Asked if they distinguished between wanting to be remembered and believing that one actually will be remembered, Lifshin said: “I think they are different.“We checked how much they think they will be remembered, not how much they wanted to. The more you feel you are a good person, the more significance and self-identity you feel. This can reduce the potential for anxiety and fear of death.”Asked if someone who is obsessed with being remembered could actually have poorer mental health and where’s the boundary between a healthy desire for significance and narcissism, Lifshin said: “We don’t know. We need to do more research.“There is ‘healthy narcissism,’ to have a good image of yourself. It’s part of human nature, but if it’s obsessive, there can be a problem. And one doesn’t have to be religious to feel a strong sense of symbolic immortality, even if he doesn’t believe in life after death. An atheist can feel it too.”Managing the knowledge of mortalityLiving in Israel through the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists, the war with Iran, bereavement, and continuing security threats “could have influenced people’s responses, because they want to cope with the threats and feel significance.“Exposure to death and the possibility of dying can make people more concerned about the legacy they will leave behind. Fear of death at any age leads to wanting to leave children. After World War II, Baby Boomers had a lot more children.”Belief in an afterlife itself could provide psychological protection against death anxiety, depression and existential distress. “We didn’t focus on this, but we think so,” he said.Asked why someone who believes that he or she will be remembered has a lower tendency toward problematic gambling, pornography use, gaming, or compulsive social-media use, Lifshin suggested that “we revert to such harmful behaviors to reduce anxiety about threats.“And if we don’t feel protected or have a positive self-image and close relationships, it’s harder to banish negative feelings, so addictions may make us feel better.“More than three years after October 7, there was a significant increase among Israelis in addictions. Now, in recent months, when it’s been relatively quieter, they may have lessened somewhat.“Strengthening people’s sense of purpose and social contribution might become part of addiction prevention or treatment, but we have to conduct controlled studies to be sure,” he said.The fact that Judaism provides 613 mitzvahs (commandments) to be performed provides guidelines for feeling you are a good person, but “one doesn’t have to be religious to do good deeds. You can be a good person even without the religious aspect,” said Lifshin, who, like Mikulincer, is not religiously observant. Shmulewitz is.PROF. MARIO MIKULINCER (credit: HU-ICAMH)The researchers warned that the study does not show that believing one will be remembered causes better mental health. The relationship could also work in the opposite direction, with poor mental health making it harder to feel connected, meaningful, or confident about one’s legacy.More experimental and long-term research will also be needed to determine whether symbolic immortality itself plays a causal role in these mental health and addiction-related outcomes, they said.Still, the findings suggest that “mental health and addiction-related problems may be tied not only to biological, cognitive, or personality processes, but also to the extent to which people feel they have established a sense of purpose, socio-cultural connection, and significance that can endure beyond their own death.“Symbolic immortality may represent not only self-transcendence, but a form of death transcendence – a way of psychologically managing the knowledge of mortality by feeling that some part of oneself will continue through others, one’s identity, or one’s legacy,” they concluded.Follow us on Google