A study from the University of Copenhagen has uncovered that guilt and shame play significant roles in shaping individuals’ daily environmental decisions. These emotions, closely tied to a person’s level of environmental awareness, reveal how deeply ingrained feelings can drive or hinder sustainable behavior.
Study Overview
- The study examines how eco-guilt and eco-shame influence people’s daily sustainability decisions.
- Interviews with 18 Danish participants revealed that those with high environmental concern primarily experience eco-guilt, while those with lower concern often feel eco-shame.
- Both emotions can lead to sustainable behavior in some cases, but eco-shame can also result in negative reactions such as withdrawal or resistance.
- The study underscores the need for a better understanding of these emotions in environmental communication.
Researchers from the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO) at the University of Copenhagen conducted in-depth interviews with 18 Danes, creating a representative sample based on gender, education, age, residence, and engagement in environmental issues.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Sustainability, shed light on how people’s inner emotional landscapes – particularly feelings of guilt and shame – guide their choices in matters such as waste management, travel habits, and consumption patterns.
The main takeaway from the research is that individuals with higher environmental awareness tend to experience guilt when their actions do not meet their personal ecological standards. In contrast, those with lower environmental awareness are more likely to feel shame over their lack of involvement in sustainability.
“People who care deeply about the environment feel guilty for not doing enough because they take on a great deal of responsibility for their actions and their impact on the planet. Meanwhile, those who are less concerned feel shame about their lack of interest and action in environmental issues, often triggered in social contexts,” said lead author of the study Ph.D. Rikke Sigmer Nielsen.
Struggling with sustainable choices
Even the most environmentally conscious participants reported struggles in maintaining green practices. For example, some felt guilty for purchasing new clothes or driving vehicles that run on fossil fuels, despite their eco-friendly intentions.
“One participant highlighted how difficult it can be to find jeans in a secondhand store, so she sometimes ended up buying new ones. Even though she had a principle of not purchasing new clothes, she had to compromise when the sustainable choice became too difficult,” Nielsen explained. “Another felt guilty about traveling a lot in a camper van, which runs on fossil fuels and pollutes more than, for instance, a train. However, they justified it by saying that living life and seeing the world are also important.”
Those less invested in environmental matters had different justifications, often citing financial or practical reasons for not making greener choices.
“For them, environmental issues didn’t feature prominently in their daily lives, and they generally felt that things had gone too far when it came to climate and environmental focus. But at the same time, they could feel shame in social settings because they were aware that others might think they held the wrong opinions or were putting the wrong items in their shopping cart,” added Nielsen.
Policy implications and communication strategies
The study contributes to a better understanding of how eco-guilt and eco-shame influence behavior, which could be crucial in developing strategies that encourage sustainable habits.
The results suggest that tapping into guilt may motivate environmentally aware individuals to act more sustainably, but relying on shame could backfire, causing resistance rather than positive change.
“Results can help policymakers and organizations design more effective campaigns and political initiatives aimed at promoting more environmentally friendly behavior,” said Nielsen. This is especially relevant for communication strategies, as there is an ongoing debate about the ethical use of guilt and shame to inspire eco-friendly actions.
“At poking people’s shame, you often provoke resistance and defiance, rather than fostering positive change in behavior. But, for some people – those already engaged in environmental issues – guilt and shame can serve as a sort of moral compass that motivates them to act more sustainably. So, these emotions are complex and essential to understand in depth if we are to promote behaviors that benefit the environment,” Nielsen concluded.
The study’s findings open the door for policymakers to consider the psychological factors at play when designing environmental campaigns. The researchers also caution against the potential unintended consequences of using shame as a tool for behavior change, emphasizing the need for more nuanced communication strategies.
This research, led by Rikke Sigmer Nielsen, in collaboration with Thomas Bøker Lund and Christian Gamborg, marks a significant step forward in understanding how emotions shape environmental behavior.
Journal Reference:
Nielsen Rikke Sigmer , Gamborg Christian , Lund Thomas Bøker, ‘Eco-guilt and eco-shame in everyday life: an exploratory study of the experiences, triggers, and reactions’, Frontiers in Sustainability 5 (2024). DOI: 10.3389/frsus.2024.1357656
Article Source:
Press Release/Material by University of Copenhagen
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