Hope for the environment: Influence of goal and temporal focus of emotions on behavior

Abstract

Although positive emotions generally influence pro-environmental behaviors positively, this is not always the case. Across one correlational and two experimental studies, we address this issue by investigating the temporal dimension of pro-environmental actions and how emotions can affect them. In the first study, we focused on the temporal dilemma behind pro-environmental behaviors, confirming the importance of “thinking about the future of the planet” for the adoption of various pro-environmental behaviors. In the second study, we examined the effect of eliciting positive emotions and the mediating role of the temporal focus induced by emotions. In this second study, we observed the superior effectiveness of eliciting future positive emotions (hope) compared with present positive emotions (amusement) in the adoption of pro-environmental behaviors. Finally, in a third study, we distinguished between integral and incidental hope, showing that the effect on pro-environmental behaviors is the strongest when hope is experienced about the future of the planet compared with when there is a general unspecific hope. Overall, our findings show the importance of investigating the unique effect of positive emotions, providing clear indications for practitioners about the beneficial effect of integral hope in the environmental context.