For all those that take time to do their part to help the environment, be mindful of what you do with the rest of your time.
A new study at the University of Toronto concludes that people who often act in a ‘green’ and eco-friendly way on a day to day basis, are more likely to practice acts of subversion and social deviance, such as cheating or stealing.
Two professors from The Rotman School of Business, Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong, initiated the study, an idea they had based on their own green activities. They monitored the behavior of a group of students and gave them the option of shopping at an organic grocery store or a more traditional grocer. Those who opted for the former, while acting eco-friendly, were found to be more likely to lie or cheat in other areas of their life. Conversely, those who shopped at the traditional grocery shop were more apt to moral deeds such as donating to charity.
This tendency has come to be called moral licensing.
In the article published by the National Post earlier this week, Zhong explained the simple yet often ignored tenet. “When [people] feel that their morality is lacking, they’re more likely
to engage in good behaviours as compensation,” he said. “But when they
observe or perceive themselves to be morally satisfied or content, that
creates licensing effects for them to engage in ethical behaviours that
are less likely to be moral.”
To play on an old law, for every positive action, there is an equal and opposite negative reaction. The conclusions are in synchronicity with similar studies done over the past decade. The reasoning behind it is still unclear but the researches and scientists point to biological factors.
Unfortunately, it’s not the type of attitude that will effectively benefit the environment. Acting in an eco-friendly manner cannot be viewed as something that will balance out undesirable behavior. Moreover, doing one act of environmental kindness cannot be used to justified an ecologically harmful deed.
Zhong has a strong conclusion, however. “I think the key [problem] is that people see green products as
moral, as good,” said Zhong. “If we simply understand that these
behaviours are necessary, that these behaviours are the bare minimum
that we can do, then we wouldn’t expect the same licensing effect.
“If everyone recycles, recycling is not going to be seen as a moral positive.”
