PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

To boost concern for the environment, emphasize a long future, not impending doom

2013-12-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Anna Mikulak
amikulak@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science
To boost concern for the environment, emphasize a long future, not impending doom Looking back on a nation's past can prompt action that leads to a greener future, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The research, conducted by NYU Stern researcher Hal Hershfield and colleagues H. Min Bang and Elke U. Weber of Columbia University, suggests that one strong way to encourage environmentally-friendly behavior is to emphasize the long life expectancy of a nation, and not necessarily its imminent downfall.

Using data from the Environmental Performance Index, the researchers analyzed the environmental records of 131 countries, looking at data on environmental indicators like air pollution, clean water, biodiversity, and habitat protection. They found that the environmental performance of a country was linked with its age as an independent nation: Older nations scored higher on the index, even when accounting for factors such as GDP and political stability.

Additional data from a Gallup poll of individual citizens also showed a connection between citizens' environmental concern, the age of a nation and its environmental performance.

Hershfield and colleagues wondered whether a sense of a long national history might increase citizens' confidence that their nation would endure, leading to a concern for protecting the nation over the long-term. That is, if people see their nation as having a long future, they may be more willing to make sacrifices today for a brighter tomorrow.

To test this, the researchers conducted a lab-based study in which they manipulated how old the US seemed using historical timelines. Some volunteers saw a timeline running from Columbus's landing in 1492 to the present day, so the nation's 237 years dominated the timeline. Others viewed a timeline beginning with the Roman Empire, in which these 237 years occupied only a very small part of history.

Participants who were led to have an elongated sense of American history – those who saw the timeline beginning with Columbus – donated significantly more money to an environmental organization than participants who were led to view the US as a younger country.

Overall, the researchers' findings can be explained by Gott's principle, a physics principle which holds that the best estimate of a given entity's remaining duration is simply the length of time that it has already been in existence. So, a nation that has a longer past implicitly suggests that it will have a longer and less uncertain future – a country that has endured through the years may be robust enough to continue existence longer than a newer country.

"Our research suggests to rely less on end-of-world scenarios and to emphasize instead the various ways in which our country – and our planet – has a rich and long history that deserves to be preserved," says Hershfield. "By highlighting the shadow of the past, we may actually help illuminate the path to an environmentally sustainable future."

###

The article abstract is available online: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/11/20/0956797613501522.abstract

This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grants SES-1227462, DBI-049179401, and SES-0951516 to E. U. Weber.

For more information about this study, please contact: Hal Hershfield at hal.hershfield@stern.nyu.edu.

The APS journal Psychological Science is the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology. For a copy of the article "National Differences in Environmental Concern and Performance Are Predicted by Country Age" and access to other Psychological Science research findings, please contact Anna Mikulak at 202-293-9300 or amikulak@psychologicalscience.org.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Cyclin D1 governs microRNA processing in breast cancer

2013-11-29
Cyclin D1 governs microRNA processing in breast cancer Cyclin D1 controls cell cycle progression and microRNA biogenesis through Dicer -- a new mechanism promoting breast cancer (PHILADELPHIA) – Cyclin D1, a protein that helps push a replicating ...

Scientists stitch up photosynthetic megacomplex

2013-11-29
Scientists stitch up photosynthetic megacomplex Scientists able to study a photosynthetic complex -- arguably the most important bit of organic chemistry on the planet -- in its complete functioning state When sunlight strikes a photosynthesizing organism, energy ...

High cholesterol fuels the growth and spread of breast cancer

2013-11-29
High cholesterol fuels the growth and spread of breast cancer DURHAM, N.C. – A byproduct of cholesterol functions like the hormone estrogen to fuel the growth and spread of the most common types of breast cancers, researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute ...

Scripps Research Institute scientists achieve most detailed picture ever of key part of hepatitis C

2013-11-29
Scripps Research Institute scientists achieve most detailed picture ever of key part of hepatitis C LA JOLLA, CA—November 28, 2013—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have determined the most detailed picture yet of a crucial part of the hepatitis ...

Researchers find a missing component in effort to create primitive, synthetic cells

2013-11-29
Researchers find a missing component in effort to create primitive, synthetic cells A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators working to create "protocells" – primitive synthetic cells consisting of a nucleic acid strand encased within ...

Fruit flies with better sex lives live longer

2013-11-29
Fruit flies with better sex lives live longer Can sexual frustration be bad for your health? Male fruit flies that expected sex -- and didn't get it -- experienced serious health consequences and aged faster ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sex may in fact be ...

Quantitative approaches provide new perspective on development of antibiotic resistance

2013-11-29
Quantitative approaches provide new perspective on development of antibiotic resistance Using quantitative models of bacterial growth, a team of UC San Diego biophysicists has discovered the bizarre way by which antibiotic resistance allows bacteria ...

Memories are 'geotagged' with spatial information, Penn researchers say

2013-11-29
Memories are 'geotagged' with spatial information, Penn researchers say Using a video game in which people navigate through a virtual town delivering objects to specific locations, a team of neuroscientists from the University of Pennsylvania and Freiburg University ...

Stanford study suggests why, in some species, mere presence of males shortens females' lifespan

2013-11-29
Stanford study suggests why, in some species, mere presence of males shortens females' lifespan STANFORD, Calif. — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that males of the laboratory roundworm secrete signaling molecules ...

Bone grafting improvements with the help of sea coral

2013-11-29
Bone grafting improvements with the help of sea coral Sea coral could soon be used more extensively in bone grafting procedures thanks to new research that has refined the material's properties and made it more compatible with natural bone. By partially converting ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Media Tip Sheet: Urban ecology at ESA2025

UC Irvine researchers find combination of natural compounds for brain cleaning

Electric double layer structure at nucleation sites revealed, providing fundamental insight into electrochemical cells and batteries

There’s something fishy going on with great white sharks that scientists can’t explain

‘Sweet’ discovery reveals how glucose fuels cancer-fighting immune cells

KBH Energy Center to host symposium

Self assembling monolayer can improve lead-free perovskite solar cells too

Like us, pregnant roaches need more sleep

Unlocking the value of intangible assets abroad requires strong board oversight, new study finds

Internalizing stress may lead to cognitive decline in

'Arctic Monkeys': Early primates survived in cold climates, not tropical forests

How do cells prevent premature protein release? UIC study cracks the case

Study demonstrates excellent potential of earthquake early warning system in Alaska

Wild chimpanzees learn how to communicate from relatives on mom’s side, not dad’s

Kids of obese parents more likely to develop obesity due to inheriting related genes

Mothers’ genes may shape children’s weight - even without being passed down

Zhou receives funding for novel performance profiling & analysis infrastructure for scientific deep learning workloads

Sleeter receives funding for revolutionary war teaching guides

Nature-inspired coding: dynamic laws of multispectral camouflage

Digital-coded metasurfaces: A comprehensive review of the new paradigm in wireless communication

Early pilot and prior studies point to increased butyrate and reduced spirochete signals; Tharos advances controlled veterinary trials

Action curiosity algorithm boosts autonomous navigation in uncertain environments

New study raises questions about how Ozempic affects muscle size and strength

Racial differences in screening eligibility by breast density after state-level insurance expansion

Rapid access to emergency medical services within historically redlined areas

Findings show NT’s vital water source is drying – and it can be seen from space

Dancing against the current: Microbial survival strategy

New insights into tectonic movements in south-eastern Europe

EMBARGOED until 00:01 AEST, 6 August 2025: Great Barrier Reef more volatile with sharp declines in coral cover

Solving a dirty problem with sunlight and oil

[Press-News.org] To boost concern for the environment, emphasize a long future, not impending doom