The virtuous loop between affective well-being and pro-environmental behaviors

Laetitia Dillenseger and Claire Mouminoux ()
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Laetitia Dillenseger: UNISI - Università degli Studi di Siena = University of Siena
Claire Mouminoux: BETA - Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée - AgroParisTech - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) - Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar - UL - Université de Lorraine - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement

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Abstract: Creating a sustainable society necessitates policies that foster human well-being and encourage individuals to engage in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) aimed at reducing their environmental footprint. However, the compatibility of these goals remains uncertain. While pro-environmental behavior often correlates positively with individuals' subjective well-being (SWB), the identification of a causal relationship with SWB remains unclear. Based on a field experiment, supplemented by online surveys, in which French university students (n = 294) could participate in a paid or unpaid volunteer litter cleanup, or donate to an environmental association according to random allocation to different treatment groups, we find evidence of a virtuous loop between pro-environmental actions and the affective component of SWB. Indeed, the feeling of happiness is associated with a higher likelihood of volunteering for unpaid litter cleanup participation, but not for paid litter cleanup or monetary donation. Additionally, we observe an increase in overall affective well-being (AWB) after participation compared to before among individuals who took part in litter cleanup activities, whether paid or unpaid. These results suggest that policies targeting human well-being are likely to generate mutually reinforcing dynamics between well-being and PEB.

Keywords: Donation; Litter cleanup; Field experiment; Subjective well-being; Pro-environmental behaviors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05
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Published in Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2026, 111, pp.102947. ⟨10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102947⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05650646

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2026.102947

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