Using positive psychology to foster social norms consistent with human well-being and earth stewardship

Background/Question/Methods

Proponents of Earth Stewardship often communicate in ways that summon up negative emotions, such as fear, anger, guilt, and shame. They believe that this is the best way to motivate people to avoid harmful behaviors, and replace them with behaviors consistent with Earth Stewardship. Psychologists specializing in emotion, however, know that there is a fundamental problem with employing negative messages to motivate people. Negative messages, and the emotions they inspire, naturally narrow attention and limit focus to the short-term. They do not inspire people to see the bigger picture, think creatively, and work collaboratively together. This is a key reason why people fail to behave as environmental stewards.

Many scientists specializing in human motivation believe that social norms play a dominant role in influencing behavior. In society today entrenched social norms, such as conspicuous consumption, foster behaviors at odds with both human and Earth well-being. Given the power of social norms to influence and control human behavior, is it possible to use positive psychology – the science of well-being - to guide the formation of social norms toward greater Earth Stewardship?

Results/Conclusions

Positive psychology encompasses several life domains; positive emotions, engaging relationships, meaning and purpose, and self-determination. Within each of these domains, one can look to scientifically-supported interventions to increase well-being. Positive emotions, for example, broaden one’s capacity for a wider range of thoughts and actions. Further, positive emotions work to build cognitive, psychological, social, and physical personal resources, all of which are important for Earth Stewardship.

The power of social norms offers a tremendous opportunity. Communicating Earth Stewardship requires elaborating an attractive vision, one that inspires the formation of social norms that foster both human well-being and ecosystem health. Positive psychologists are now able to elaborate a comprehensive taxonomy of human well-being. This taxonomy can be employed to guide the formation of social norms that fulfill the promise of both human well-being and Earth Stewardship.

One of the most profound outcomes of well-being research is that there appears to be no direct link between a lifestyle of material aspiration and well-being. In fact, many well-being indicators point toward lifestyles consistent with Earth Stewardship. Because of this, there is obvious value in explicitly communicating these connections in order to foster more appropriate social norms. In this session, a taxonomy of human well-being will be presented, and ways of using it to foster social norms toward Earth Stewardship will be explored.