Hi all, What if we understood our current ecological crisis as a “Human Behavioral Crisis”? That is how researchers, Merz et al (2023), have described it. In their paper, they argue that the ecological problems we are currently facing, such as climate change, are a symptom of a larger problem of ecological overshoot; that is, human consumption and population are simply too much for Earth’s capacity to adapt.
When it comes to human consumption, our behaviors are being heavily manipulated by the marketing industry. Marketers are exploiting our stone age impulses to seek pleasure and avoid pain; obtain, and defend resources from competitors; display dominance, status, and sex appeal; and procrastinate whenever we perceive that action has no immediate survival benefit. These impulses are being hijacked and exploited, and the resulting outcome is environmental degradation. How can we counter the power of the marketing industry? Merz et al (2023) suggest—as do social marketers everywhere—that marketing may actually be part of the solution. Perhaps changing social norms around key consumptive behaviors may be a good starting point. For example, one way for humanity to get “back to safe harbor” is to reduce consumption by celebrating self-sufficiency and building social norms around minimalist behaviors (e.g. repairing broken items, swapping clothes, flying less, cycling rather than driving, eating less beef, etc). This would need to be done carefully to avoid triggering feelings of loss and regret, and the focus should be on the personal benefits of adopting such behaviors. As I have mentioned before, we know scientifically that behavior change programs are more likely to be successful when the target audience/priority group perceives clear benefits to adopting the behavior. Finding ways to nudge people towards less consumptive social behaviors, while reassuring them through enhancement of their self-worth and social status will help turn the tide in favor of human health and well-being. To read the full paper, click here.
When it comes to human consumption, our behaviors are being heavily manipulated by the marketing industry. Marketers are exploiting our stone age impulses to seek pleasure and avoid pain; obtain, and defend resources from competitors; display dominance, status, and sex appeal; and procrastinate whenever we perceive that action has no immediate survival benefit. These impulses are being hijacked and exploited, and the resulting outcome is environmental degradation. How can we counter the power of the marketing industry? Merz et al (2023) suggest—as do social marketers everywhere—that marketing may actually be part of the solution. Perhaps changing social norms around key consumptive behaviors may be a good starting point. For example, one way for humanity to get “back to safe harbor” is to reduce consumption by celebrating self-sufficiency and building social norms around minimalist behaviors (e.g. repairing broken items, swapping clothes, flying less, cycling rather than driving, eating less beef, etc). This would need to be done carefully to avoid triggering feelings of loss and regret, and the focus should be on the personal benefits of adopting such behaviors. As I have mentioned before, we know scientifically that behavior change programs are more likely to be successful when the target audience/priority group perceives clear benefits to adopting the behavior. Finding ways to nudge people towards less consumptive social behaviors, while reassuring them through enhancement of their self-worth and social status will help turn the tide in favor of human health and well-being. To read the full paper, click here.
