Go Green, Hoard Green, Steal Green
Image by Marcel030NL via Flickr
As the Copenhagen climate conference continues, what better time to revisit an old favorite here at Neuroworld: The Al Gore’s Giant Fraggin’ Mansion Effect. You may remember, from the study recounted in that post, the concept of “moral self-regulation.” Basically, the idea is that if we are in a state of mind where we think we’re good people, we’re less likely to act like good people — as in, we’re less likely to be generous to other people or to go out of our way to avoid causing social harm.
If we think we’re already pretty good, the logic goes, why should we waste resources trying to be good — we’ve already accomplished goodness.
A new study (abstract with link to free PDF), set for publication in Psychological Science, takes this idea a step further, and in a way particularly relevant to our suddenly “green” product rich world. What is the effect of all these green buying options suddenly available to millions of Americans. Well, in short:
In line with the halo associated with green consumerism, people act more altruistically after mere exposure to green than conventional products. However, people act less altruistically and are more likely to cheat and steal after purchasing green products as opposed to conventional products.
That is, exposure to the concept of “greenness” makes us act better; but indulgence in the actual purchasing of green products makes us act worse.
An article in Slate describes the experiment:
In an experiment, participants were randomly assigned to select items they wanted to buy in one of two online stores. One store sold predominantly green products, the other mostly conventional items. Then, in a supposedly unrelated game, all of the participants were allocated $6, to share as they saw fit with an anonymous (and unbeknownst to them, imaginary) recipient. Subjects who had chosen items from the green store coughed up less money, on average, than their counterparts. In a second experiment, participants were again assigned to shop in either a green or conventional store. Then they performed a computer task that involved earning small sums of cash. The setup offered the opportunity to cheat and steal with impunity. The eco-shoppers were more likely to do both.
The environment is certainly not the only place where this idea of moral self-regulation pops up. Another recent study found that white people who voted for Obama later appeared to feel they had more license to be racist in other aspects of their lives.
Alternately, research has shown the effect to work in the reverse. When people are made to feel negatively about their moral status, they’ll act better to try to compensate.
The ultimate lesson, I think, is that our motives are rarely what we think they are. We think we want to do good to do good, but more likely we want to do good because we feel guilty. Likewise, those of us who think we’re good people, we’re probably the ones who act the worst — because we think we’ve got no moral deficit to pay off.
So, buy green this holiday season. That green product is a green light to act like a real bastard the rest of the year.
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South Park did it:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104283
I’ll believe that we’re in a crisis when the folks who tell us we’re in a crisis behave as if there really IS a crisis.
That is, maybe, not living in a ridiculously-wasteful and -oversized house? Maybe car/planepooling to the green summit instead of private jets and limos?
“Do as I say not as I do” stopped working when I was 6 years old.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ryansager and cf bateman, MVasquez. MVasquez said: Go Green Hoard Green Steal Green Ryan Sager Neuroworld TrueSlant: As the Copenhagen climate conference continue.. http://bit.ly/5W7PDf [...]
Too right, Ryan. The other day I saw someone in a Prius with a bumper sticker “Fuck SUV drivers.” So I thought to get a placard to hang off my electric bike “Fuck Prius drivers.” Damn, would I feel smug or what?
If I might introduce a seasonal, sectarian note here: How do these “greenish” “sacrifices”, compare with Jesus’ sacrifice in the scheme of things? If people can’t find the joy, meaning and eternal (not Eternal) reward in sacrificing a little to go green I have to wonder if ultimately anything good will come of it.
Will Tesla’s and PV arrays be the indulgences we pay to the great Church of Green?
On the other hand, I own an SUV do Public Transportation research. (I’ll clarify by saying I still ride the bus and do most of my around-town driving with a compact car. My mode of transportation varies more than most.)
But this raises some interesting points about human nature and self-compensation- the number of times I’ve seen people wash down a ginormous brownie with a Diet Coke…
In response to another comment. See in context »There is nothing moral about “green”
Being “green” won’t get you in heaven
Most people’s concept of “green” is nothing more than an affectation. Household “greening” is effective to the point of saving money. The real gains are in commercial/industrial energy efficiency, something we desperately need to learn from our Japanese counterparts.
In response to another comment. See in context »Saving money is the entire question. If hydro were expensive we wouldn’t have any. If photovoltaics were cheap it would be all over the place. Since natural gas is cheap and abundant, in CA at least, we are rapidly switching from coal gen to natgas co-gen in comm/ind.
In response to another comment. See in context »The real question is how to internalize and pay for all the costs of our economic activity rather than passing the costs to succeeding generations. We would have zero nuclear if we had to post a bond against radioactive pollution.
And, no, going green is not entirely affectation. I can afford to drive a car but I substitute my electric bike 100 miles a week. I can afford to heat our whole house but I choose to just heat two rooms. I can afford beef but I choose not to eat it. I don’t like paying 3 times more for organics but I choose to do it.
The point isn’t to “get into” heaven; the point is to manifest the Kingdom of heaven in your every thought, choice and behavior.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] On: Go Green, Hoard Green, Steal Green [...]
[...] how if people do things that make them feel like a moral, good person, they are more likely to behave immorally. For example, white people who voted for Obama felt they had more license to be racist in other [...]
[...] nothing clouds one’s moral compass like self-righteousness. Consider a recent study which found those who buy green are more likely to steal. In an odd psychological quirk, it turns out that those who are motivated to look like they are [...]