There are some odd results of changing your shopping habits to be more environmentally conscious, says a recent study:
As the owner of several energy-efficient light bulbs and a recycled umbrella, I’m familiar with the critiques of “ethical consumption.” In some cases, it’s not clear that ostensibly green products are better for the environment. There’s also the risk that these lifestyle choices will make us complacent, sapping the drive to call senators and chain ourselves to coal plants. Tweaking your shopping list, the argument goes, is at best woefully insufficient and maybe even counterproductive.
But new research by Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong at the University of Toronto levels an even graver charge: that virtuous shopping can actually lead to immoral behavior. In their study (described in a paper now in press at Psychological Science), subjects who made simulated eco-friendly purchases ended up less likely to exhibit altruism in a laboratory game and more likely to cheat and steal.
[. . .]
It would be foolish to draw conclusions about the real world from just one paper and from such an artificial scenario. But the findings add to a growing body of research into a phenomenon known among social psychologists as “moral credentials” or “moral licensing.” Historically, psychologists viewed moral development as a steady progression toward more sophisticated decision-making. But an emerging school of thought stresses the capriciousness of moral responses. Several studies propose that the state of our self-image can directly influence our choices from moment to moment. When people have the chance to demonstrate their goodness, even in the most token of ways, they then feel free to relax their ethical standards.
H/T to Radley Balko for the link.
I’ve not done any “scientific” study, but I have witnessed this concept both inside and outside the environmental arena.
Back in the eighties, I crossed paths with a number of the early “Born Again” types. Among those, there were more than a few where the words were clearly speaking louder than the actions. I quickly learned to watch my wallet among this subset of the group that used their “salvation” in the same manner that a check kiter uses a checkbook.
Comment by Tom — December 8, 2009 @ 14:48