The Psychology and Neuroeconomics of Pro-Environmental Behavior

For several years, society has faced climate change catastrophes ranging from wildfires to rising sea levels. To combat these effects, researchers have focused on creating technological and societal shifts. However, understanding and influencing an individual's behavior is often overlooked but can provide a benefit. Pro-environmental behavior, or PEB, is an individual’s tendency to consciously reduce negative environmental impacts while improving environmental conditions. Research has shown the advantages of using behavioral findings and neuroeconomics to deepen our understanding of PEB to promote and nudge,
or influence consumers subconsciously, to act with PEB. Though this interdisciplinary approach to climate change is relatively new and unexplored, research reveals that it is a growing field. This literature review provides an overview of PEB in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and marketing. We first examine the psychological factors, such as personality and motivation, that influence PEB and pro-environmental attitudes (PEA). We then move to neuroscience findings based on an individual's brain size and brain activation when engaging in sustainable behavior. Lastly, the neuroscience findings are applied to construct efficient marketing techniques for firms to apply to consumers and promote sustainable behavior.