Getting energised about behaviour

Last week some of the PrimeDecision team attended Communicate 2011, the annual conference for environmental communicators. There we witnessed a real appetite among the attendees to understand the practical application of the psychology of behaviour. It was fantastic to see Professor Geoffrey Beattie, prolific psychologist at Manchester University, sharing some of his recent findings – and sparking more questions than any other speaker slot.

In a whistle-stop tour of recent research, Prof. Beattie tackled the distinction between implicit and explicit attitudes – and the gap between what people say and what they ultimately do. In one study his team had asked people questions about green purchases while tracking their body-language. Even though they all said positive things about making green choices, their hand gestures would betray the truth – and predictably confirm or contradict what they were saying. In another study the psychologists were able to predict which candidates people would choose from a selection of CVs, based on whether they were holding implicit racist attitudes. It's fascinating that such strong biases can exist in people who are not consciously aware of them. The team are also doing extensive work with eye-tracking to understand how people process environmental messages on product packaging. We'll definitely be keeping tabs on their progress.

Interestingly, over six thousand miles away, a roundtable organised by the Energy Studies Institute at Singapore International Energy Week was taking place and grappling with the same topic of irrational behaviour. The speakers there challenged the way energy is described, discussed green envy and explored the implications of behavioural economics for energy policy. A short summary from the session is available here. It’s reassuring to see such growing global recognition for the role of psychology in making green choices.

The language of sustainability

Recent contact with organisations like ThinkFutureNow and Bristol Green Capital has certainly helped to crystallise PrimeDecision’s commitment to sustainability. But although our intention to run a green business feels strong and genuine, we are conscious of how vulnerable we all are to contextual influence. Surrounded by sustainability professionals at an event like Communicate, it is easy to be swept along by others’ commitment and enthusiasm. But in everyday life, sometimes the smallest things can deter or drive sustainable behaviour. To create meaningful change, we need to use these factors to our advantage – and be honest about how fallible we humans are.


We found a lovely example of how language can impact green behaviour when visiting Schumacher College. Naturally they place a lot of emphasis on recycling – and have a range of bins for cardboard, cartons, glass, aluminium, compost etc. Now although few people would disagree overtly with the idea of recycling, in the midst of a busy day it can often seem easier to use the general rubbish bin instead. Throwing rubbish into a bin is such a familiar and automatic action. Yet instead of calling it ‘general waste’ or ‘the bin’, Schumacher bluntly labels their bins: ‘Landfill’. Through simple reframing, it disrupts that familiar action and makes the environmental impact so much more apparent. It seemed to us a fantastic antidote for everyday laziness.

We don’t currently have evidence quantifying the impact of this particular change, or the means to encourage the spread of this practice. But it is important that we, and other organisations, take the time to do so. For although seemingly minor, these little cues can have a huge impact on our ability to adopt the sustainable behaviours that we wish for.

MINDSPACE: a behavioural checklist

How do you encourage public policy-makers to integrate behaviour into their thinking? Well one piece of the government’s answer is a simple mnemonic: ‘MINDSPACE’

This has been around a while, but has popped up a few times in conversation lately so we wanted to share it:

Messenger: we are heavily influenced by who communicates information

Incentives: our responses to incentives are shaped by predictable mental shortcuts such as strongly avoiding losses

Norms: we are strongly influenced by what others do

Defaults: we 'go with the flow' of pre-set options

Salience: our attention is drawn to what is novel and seems relevant to us

Priming: our acts are often influenced by sub-conscious cues

Affect: our emotional associations can powerfully shape our actions

Commitments: we seek to be consistent with our public promises, and reciprocate acts

Ego: we act in ways that make us feel better about ourselves

Now of course the full report recognises that the challenge is much greater than knowing about these biases in a general sense. Policy-makers must develop methodical, creative and measurable applications for them.

Check out the full report here. It includes some great nuggets across a range of policy areas – from obesity to crime prevention.