Beauty Builds Cooperation by Increasing Moral Concern for the Environment

Kelly Kirkland*, Paul A.M. Van Lange, Noah Charalambous, Calypso Strauss, Brock Bastian

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the role of moral value in influencing cooperative behavior in environmental conservation. Our research involved two studies examining whether attributing moral value to non-sentient resources (the environment) impacts participants’ resource preservation actions. Results revealed that associating an environmental consequence with resource consumption led to increased cooperative behavior, driven by a desire to protect trees and nature’s intrinsic value. Further, participants demonstrated higher conservation efforts when the environmental consequence was paired with a beautiful image of a tree. These findings suggest that the beauty of nature may be a significant driver of cooperation. The results of these studies shed light on the non-monetary value that people place on resources. Beauty and the inherent value of nature may be critical for our understanding of environmental conservation, emphasizing the potential of moral and aesthetic appreciation as key drivers of pro-environmental actions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)355-382
Number of pages28
JournalEnvironment and Behavior
Volume56
Issue number5-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

Bibliographical note

First published online: November 7, 2024.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Keywords

  • anthropomorphism
  • beauty
  • cooperation
  • environment
  • morality
  • resource dilemma

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