Final Blog Post Part 1
Human Nature VS Mother Nature
Jesse Brandon

Lately, it seems, Mother Nature has been trying to get our attention. Its signals are increasingly loud, alarming, and hard to miss. Even more unsettling, our time to turn back and change our potentially, foreboding outcome is increasingly slipping further and further from our grasp. From taking this class, it has been made apparently clear to me that: (1) that there is such a problem as global climate change, and (2) it is largely a man-made problem, (3) the problem cannot be solved by technology alone and (4) solutions require behavioral changes in consumption patterns, fossil fuel use, mobility, waste disposal, and family planning. More to the point, as long as we do not implement environmental policies that are sustainable themselves—because they are not based on a sound understanding of HUMAN NATURE— I do not believe we are not going to see any enduring green improvements; if any improvement at all.

On tackling this, seemingly, esoteric and complex issue, I cannot help but wonder if we, as humans, were ever really environmentally friendly; if, we, as are a whole, are more so a product, as well as, victim, of our own design. In other words, are we, more or less, hardwired to damage the environment? Moreover, what does human nature tell us about environmental sustainability?

In an article, by Mark van Vaus, Vladas Griskevicius and Stephanie Cantu, this very question is explored; they discuss sustainability in light of scientific knowledge about how the human mind works. These scientists first dispel the myth that our ancestors were the "Green Types. Much to my surprise, they boldly state that our ancestors were no "noble ecological savages." Historical research into the deforestation of small islands such as the notorious Easter Island and the massive extinction of  large animals in places such as North America and Europe (mammoths and rhinos), Madagascar (the dodo) and New Zealand (mao birds) shows that these  problems coincided with the arrival of humans in these places.

 Essentially, they found that, wherever our forebears went, massive environmental and ecological damage followed them.

Unfortunately, this is largely due to how the human mind works.  Evolution has equipped us with a certain  psychology that is best suited to leading a hunter-gatherer life style (as our ancestors did for several millions of years). But this psychology makes it difficult to lead a sustainable life style in the modern world. 

Furthermore, van Vaus and his associates argue that many modern environmental problems are caused, or at least exacerbated, by five human instincts. Moreover, that knowledge of and about these human tendencies should help us develop more sustainable policies and lifestyles.

(1)    Humans  value their personal interests more than others’ interests.

As an illustration, suppose you could herd an extra cow on the commons to feed you and your family without anyone noticing, would you do it? The environmental literature on the tragedy of the commons literature shows that most people are selfish if they can get away with it. Humans care first and foremost about themselves, their family and their community but they have little regard for humanity as a whole.

(2)    We value the present over the future.

Would you rather have 100 dollars now or 150 dollars a year from now?

When we give people these dilemmas, most of them prefer the immediate reward although it is smaller.  The reason is that if the future is uncertain it is much better to get your rewards now. Our ancestors  did not know if they would still be around next year and so. Thus, our minds are designed to weigh immediate outcomes more heavily than distant ones. Naturally, this affects how humans  make environmental decisions, for instance, whether or not to invest in expensive solar panels.

(3)    Humans are obsessed by status.

Research shows that although the average income of people in the US has gone up by 140% since 1946, the average happiness level has remained unchanged. The reason is that our minds are concerned with our relative status rather than absolute status. We are so concerned about “Keeping up with the Joneses”  that we do not appreciate what we have got. It is not difficult to see that our excessive consumption rates are due to this obsession with status.

Don’t  you believe me?  Here is a test. Would you rather have a 200 square meters flat in an apartment building with mostly 250 square meters flats or a 175 square meters flat in a building with mostly 150 square meters flats? If you are rational you go for the bigger flat but humans go for the relative size. They are doing better than their peers. That’s what natural selection is about: your relative success.

(4)    We copy unconsciously the behaviors of people around us.

Humans instinctively copy and mimic the behavior of others and it starts when we are still in our nappies (see another blog Natural Born Followers). Imitation is an underappreciated contributor to environmental problems. Home residents say that the behavior of their neighbors has very little effect on their own conservation behaviors, but it is actually one of the strongest predictors of energy and water use.

Are you unconvinced? Well, even the experts did not predict such high conformity rates in the classic Asch and Milgram social psychological experiments.

(5)    Humans disregard novel environmental threats.

Here is a final question. How do you know that your environment is being destroyed? Your house smells just fine. Your neighborhood has trees, and you can get plenty of delicious food at the store. At some rational level we know that we are damaging our environment. Yet the human mind is not used to dealing with novel global environmental threats such as pollution, plastic, chemicals, nuclear waste and greenhouse gases, because for millions of years these problems were not around.

All the research shows that people are poor at comprehending environmental risks and underestimate the severity of many environmental issues. In contrast to the past when environmental problems were local, people cannot see, hear, feel or smell how their behaviors affect their environment.

It is largely because of these five basic human instincts that policy makers find it very difficult to promote sustainability among citizens, public and private organizations.

Simply put, humans are basically not hardwired to be 'green."

And this is why we as people need to put more emphasis on our perception and behavior towards the environment. For if we fail to head the lessons about human psychology, we will continue heading towards a future filled with uncertainty and dread. But there is hope; all we have to do is be the personal catalyst for change -one person at a time- and be diligent in our behavior, as well as, action towards environmentalism

Final Blog Post Part 2
Human Nature VS Mother Nature
Jesse Brandon

In my previous blog post I raised the question about whether we humans are hardwired to destroy our beautiful planet. This claim is based on what anthropologists know about traditional societies; these were not as sustainable as was once believed - consider, for example, the Easter Island tragedy. These findings are also supported by what psychologists and neuroscientists understand about how the human mind works.

In short, I suggested that our minds are adapted to life in an environment where it pays to (1) look after your personal interests more than the interests of (unknown) others, (2) value the present more than the future, (3) be concerned about your status, (4) copy and imitate the behaviors of those around you, and (5) disregard global environmental threats. I explained how these “Stone Age” psychological biases came to be and argued why they would make it difficult to persuade humanity to adopt a greener, more sustainable life style looking at such problems as overconsumption, waste, littering, and overpopulation.

Yet, this is only half of the story. The other half is that we can apply insights from philosophy, psychology, natural and neurosciences to develop a more sustainable agenda for this planet. In recent articles, by Vlad Griskevicius, van Vaus and Griskevicius give many examples of green influence strategies that are effective, because they are aligned with human nature.  Some of these strategies, presented by van Vaus and Griskevicius, that aim to "nudge" people to go green, are listed below.

(1) Get involved in your local community

Humans are social imitators by nature. Home residents say that the behavior of their neighbors has very little effect on their own conservation behaviors, but it is one of the strongest predictors of energy and water use. When people learn that their neighbors are conserving, they decrease their own energy consumption. Public appeals to reduce water consumption during a local shortage has the most effect on people who are well connected with their neighborhood and proud members of their community.

(2) Buy a hybrid car to increase your sex appeal

We value our social status. So can you get status from being green? Yes you can. Both the Toyota Prius and Lexus hybrid are green cars but they are relatively expensive. You would not think that people would buy them. Yet their sales have been far higher than expected. Why? Because driving a hybrid signals to other people that you are both wealthy and concerned about the fate of this planet. This is an ideal signal to members of the opposite sex. Indeed, research suggests that women find men who show a concern for the planet sexually more attractive.

(3) Put posters with people watching you in public places

Humans are extremely concerned about their reputation. Studies suggest that putting posters in public places with pictures of eyes on them reduces littering. Why? These eyes, whether real or imagined, give us a feeling of being watched. And when we think we are being watched, we do the morally right thing. So putting posters with pictures of eyes near an electricity switch or tap at home or at the office, or installing clearly visible CCTV cameras in public spaces, might actually help.

(4) Watch scenes of natural beauty

Humans evolved in a natural environment and so we have an innate tendency to appreciate other living things and we feel happiest in a lush, green environment. This is the idea of biophilia. Some research suggests that these natural landscape preferences are hardwired. The question is whether they can also promote a green lifestyle. Psychological research (including that of ourselves) has discovered that by playing nature scenes or sounds to people, they are happier, more trusting, more forward looking and consume less — all the ingredients for a greener life style.

(5) Move into a stable, crime-free neighborhood

Many environmental problems are the result of human short-sightedness. Yet there are ways to get people to value the future more. Research by Griskevicius, and others suggests that it matters where you grow up. In one study they found that people who grew up in a relatively unstable and dangerous neighborhood are more likely to consume excessively and start a family earlier in life. Thus, improving neighborhoods and reducing crime rates actually change people’s time orientations so that they become less materialistic and more concerned about the future.

Thus, by developing influence strategies that take into account the peculiar features of human nature, we can get people to lead a more sustainable, happier lifestyle. This is the roadmap we should pursue to develop a green agenda for this planet.

If you know of any clever nudge strategies that have persuaded you to lead a greener lifestyle, please let me know.

In any event, the future is coming. More to the point, we can do one of two things: Sit and watch or enact the change to better our own future, as well as, the future of our planet. I for one plan to do more for my environment and, hopefully, be an example to others; more than anything, do my part in preserving humanity's' place in the future.