The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making

Claudia R Schneider, Lisa Zaval, Elke U Weber and Ezra M Markowitz

PLOS ONE, 2017, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: The present research explores the relationship between anticipated emotions and pro-environmental decision making comparing two differently valenced emotions: anticipated pride and guilt. In an experimental design, we examined the causal effects of anticipated pride versus guilt on pro-environmental decision making and behavioral intentions by making anticipated emotions (i.e. pride and guilt) salient just prior to asking participants to make a series of environmental decisions. We find evidence that anticipating one’s positive future emotional state from green action just prior to making an environmental decision leads to higher pro-environmental behavioral intentions compared to anticipating one’s negative emotional state from inaction. This finding suggests a rethinking in the domain of environmental and climate change messaging, which has traditionally favored inducing negative emotions such as guilt to promote pro-environmental action. Furthermore, exploratory results comparing anticipated pride and guilt inductions to baseline behavior point toward a reactance eliciting effect of anticipated guilt.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0188781

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188781

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