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Past Actions as Self-Signals: How Acting in a Self-Interested Way Influences Environmental Decision Making.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Lee, C-Y; Hochman, G; Prince, SE; Ariely, D
Published in: PloS one
January 2016

In the last few decades, awareness of environmental issues has increased significantly. Little has changed, however, in human activities contributing to environmental damage. Why is it so difficult for us to change our behavior in a domain that is clearly so important to the future of humanity? Here we propose and test the possibility that self-signaling, the way we view ourselves based on our past behaviors, is one of the factors contributing to the difficulty of taking environmental action. In three experiments, we show that previous self-interested thoughts or behaviors serve as important signals that hinder the likelihood of acting in line with an individual's reported concern for the environment. This study not only helps explain the gap between environmental awareness and action, but also suggests alternative strategies for policymakers and environmental agencies to promote proenvironmental behavior.

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Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2016

Volume

11

Issue

7

Start / End Page

e0158456

Related Subject Headings

  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Social Behavior
  • Self Concept
  • Motivation
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • General Science & Technology
  • Female
  • Decision Making
 

Citation

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Lee, C.-Y., Hochman, G., Prince, S. E., & Ariely, D. (2016). Past Actions as Self-Signals: How Acting in a Self-Interested Way Influences Environmental Decision Making. PloS One, 11(7), e0158456. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158456
Lee, Chang-Yuan, Guy Hochman, Steven E. Prince, and Dan Ariely. “Past Actions as Self-Signals: How Acting in a Self-Interested Way Influences Environmental Decision Making.PloS One 11, no. 7 (January 2016): e0158456. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158456.
Lee C-Y, Hochman G, Prince SE, Ariely D. Past Actions as Self-Signals: How Acting in a Self-Interested Way Influences Environmental Decision Making. PloS one. 2016 Jan;11(7):e0158456.
Lee, Chang-Yuan, et al. “Past Actions as Self-Signals: How Acting in a Self-Interested Way Influences Environmental Decision Making.PloS One, vol. 11, no. 7, Jan. 2016, p. e0158456. Epmc, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0158456.
Lee C-Y, Hochman G, Prince SE, Ariely D. Past Actions as Self-Signals: How Acting in a Self-Interested Way Influences Environmental Decision Making. PloS one. 2016 Jan;11(7):e0158456.

Published In

PloS one

DOI

EISSN

1932-6203

ISSN

1932-6203

Publication Date

January 2016

Volume

11

Issue

7

Start / End Page

e0158456

Related Subject Headings

  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Social Behavior
  • Self Concept
  • Motivation
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • General Science & Technology
  • Female
  • Decision Making