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The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that individuals restrain their egoistic desires to benefit others (eg, the natural world), which require a higher-order psychological process, such as self-control. Therefore, performing a preceding self-control task may subsequently decrease green consumption behavio...

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Autores principales: Li, Mei, Tan, Min, Wang, Shibei, Li, Jin, Zhang, Guanfei, Zhong, Yiping
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8711736/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34992478
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S341786
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author Li, Mei
Tan, Min
Wang, Shibei
Li, Jin
Zhang, Guanfei
Zhong, Yiping
author_facet Li, Mei
Tan, Min
Wang, Shibei
Li, Jin
Zhang, Guanfei
Zhong, Yiping
author_sort Li, Mei
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that individuals restrain their egoistic desires to benefit others (eg, the natural world), which require a higher-order psychological process, such as self-control. Therefore, performing a preceding self-control task may subsequently decrease green consumption behavior. However, whether and how moral elevation, which is an important type of positive incidental emotion, moderates the negative effect of exerting self-control on green consumption behavior remains unknown. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to examine how exerting self-control and moral elevation influenced green consumption behavior. METHODS: The product choice task that requires participants to make choices between buying environmentally friendly (eco-friendly) and cheaper (self-interest) products is an index of green consumption behavior. In Experiment 1, we adopted the incongruent Stroop task to induce the exertion of self-control, and participants were asked to make choices in the product choice task. In Experiment 2, participants were provided with moral elevating videos to elicit moral elevation during the interval between the Stroop and product choice tasks. RESULTS: Experiment 1 indicated that, relative to the congruent Stroop task (the control condition), completing the incongruent Stroop task led to less environmentally friendly choices. Experiment 2 indicated that the participants who watched the elevating video in the incongruent Stroop task condition chose environmentally friendly products with greater frequency compared to those who watched the neutral video. Furthermore, the analyses showed that self-reported moral elevation partly moderated the effect of the exertion of self-control on green consumption behavior. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the exertion of self-control has a negative effect on green consumption behavior; however, moral elevation can counteract this negative effect of exerting self-control on green consumption behavior.
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spelling pubmed-87117362022-01-05 The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation Li, Mei Tan, Min Wang, Shibei Li, Jin Zhang, Guanfei Zhong, Yiping Psychol Res Behav Manag Original Research BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that individuals restrain their egoistic desires to benefit others (eg, the natural world), which require a higher-order psychological process, such as self-control. Therefore, performing a preceding self-control task may subsequently decrease green consumption behavior. However, whether and how moral elevation, which is an important type of positive incidental emotion, moderates the negative effect of exerting self-control on green consumption behavior remains unknown. PURPOSE: The present study aimed to examine how exerting self-control and moral elevation influenced green consumption behavior. METHODS: The product choice task that requires participants to make choices between buying environmentally friendly (eco-friendly) and cheaper (self-interest) products is an index of green consumption behavior. In Experiment 1, we adopted the incongruent Stroop task to induce the exertion of self-control, and participants were asked to make choices in the product choice task. In Experiment 2, participants were provided with moral elevating videos to elicit moral elevation during the interval between the Stroop and product choice tasks. RESULTS: Experiment 1 indicated that, relative to the congruent Stroop task (the control condition), completing the incongruent Stroop task led to less environmentally friendly choices. Experiment 2 indicated that the participants who watched the elevating video in the incongruent Stroop task condition chose environmentally friendly products with greater frequency compared to those who watched the neutral video. Furthermore, the analyses showed that self-reported moral elevation partly moderated the effect of the exertion of self-control on green consumption behavior. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the exertion of self-control has a negative effect on green consumption behavior; however, moral elevation can counteract this negative effect of exerting self-control on green consumption behavior. Dove 2021-12-23 /pmc/articles/PMC8711736/ /pubmed/34992478 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S341786 Text en © 2021 Li et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) ). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).
spellingShingle Original Research
Li, Mei
Tan, Min
Wang, Shibei
Li, Jin
Zhang, Guanfei
Zhong, Yiping
The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation
title The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation
title_full The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation
title_fullStr The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation
title_full_unstemmed The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation
title_short The Effect of Preceding Self-Control on Green Consumption Behavior: The Moderating Role of Moral Elevation
title_sort effect of preceding self-control on green consumption behavior: the moderating role of moral elevation
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8711736/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34992478
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S341786
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