Getting to the heart of climate change: How emotionally framed messages can encourage workplace proenvironmental behavior

Abstract

In this paper we report the results of three quasi-experimental studies where we examined the effect of emotionally framed messages on participants' proenvironmental behavior. In each study, participants viewed a news video about climate change where the news reader displayed one of five emotions. A control group read a written report of the news. The dependent variables were recycling behavior following the viewing and requesting environmental information. Results were consistent across the three studies in that displayed emotion had a significant effect on proenvironmental behavior following the viewing. Sadness in particular resulted in significantly less proenvironmental behavior. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for research, theory, and practice.