Research: People Use Less Energy When They Think Their Neighbors Care About the Environment

How social norms can help people become more sustainable.

by

and

Adam D. Galinsky

by

and

Adam D. Galinsky

January 28, 2019

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Summary.

A significant reduction in energy consumption is needed to help meet critical temperature thresholds. New research points to a way to help consumers work toward this goal – one that doesn’t rest on changing people’s personal beliefs about climate change. Rather, it seems that believing your neighbors care about energy conservation may be a more important motivator to get you to consume less energy.

Last November the U.S. government released a report detailing the devastating impact of global warming for the U.S. economy: they predicted that GDP would shrink by more than 10% by the end of the century if nothing was done to reduce rising temperatures.

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Jon M. Jachimowicz is an assistant professor in the Organizational Behavior Unit at the Harvard Business School. He received his PhD in management from Columbia Business School. He studies how people pursue their passion for work, how they perceive passion in others, and how leaders and organizations seek to manage for passion.
Oliver Hauser is a professor of economics at the University of Exeter and a faculty affiliate at Harvard University. His research studies how corporates, nonprofits, and governments can become more sustainable, cooperative, inclusive, and productive workplaces for employees, managers, and executive leaders.
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Julie O’Brien is a Behavioral Scientist and Principal at Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight and a co-founder of The Behavior Shop. She leads the Center’s Better Living & Health Initiative, where her team carries out basic and applied research on disease management, medical decision-making, and preventative health behaviors. She has a PhD in Social Psychology and a background in product research.
ES

Erin Sherman is a Vice President at ideas42, a nonprofit behavioral design firm. She manages projects to address the human factors of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Adam D. Galinsky is the chair of the Management Division at the Columbia Business School. He co-authored the critically acclaimed and best-selling book, Friend & Foe (Penguin Random House, 2015), and delivered a popular TED talk, How to Speak Up for Yourself.

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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Decision Making. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

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Research: People Use Less Energy When They Think Their Neighbors Care About the Environment

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