This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Emotional mechanisms are frequently used to inspire good environmental behavior. But how effective are they at inspiring actual sustainable change?
Perhaps not as much as previously believed, according to a new study that challenged participants to put their money where their mouths are. The research examined how three climate-related emotions—anger, compassion and hope—can directly increase pro-environmental behavior. Participants were then invited to donate their participation fees to charity.
The results surprised the researchers. "We knew already that when people are angry, they are more motivated and have stronger intentions," explains Christian Klöckner, a professor at NTNU's Department of Psychology, who researches why people make environmentally friendly or unfriendly choices. "When people have a bad conscience, they are more willing to accept climate policies.
And we know that people need to hope that something can be done. Otherwise they don't do anything," he continues. "In this recent study, we wanted to put people's intentions to the test." The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The power of these motivating factors has been tried and tested in previous studies. If people are angry, they are more likely to want to hold climate criminals to account. If they are compassionate, they are inclined to support victims.
And if they have hope, they have intentions. The new research surveyed more than 2,000 individuals in Norway and Poland. All participants were given 200 kroner or 20 złoty and exposed to a series of short stories designed to trigger different types of climate-related emotions.
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