Humans have two systems that are used to make decisions. One is called the ruled based system. The rule based system is logical and rational. A person using this system would look over the facts to come to a conclusion. The other type of system is the associative based system. This system is impulsive. Its an illogical way of making a decision and ignores most facts. Lets take riding a bike to work instead of driving for example. Using the rule based system, would say this is a good idea because it is healthy and saves gas. On the hand, the associative system would combat this by saying that riding a bike to work would cause helmet hair and thus it would not be a good idea. The rule based system is like Spock from Star Trek and the associative system is like Homer Simpson.
Psychology offers some tips on how to get people to be more sustainable. It is important to make sustainability the norm. The way in doing this is to show social proof. The more people are involved the more others are willing to join in. Go beyond the environment and make it relevant for the individual. Show how their actions could affect their health or the economy. Stay local because people have an easier time wrapping their head over a smaller area versus a larger one. Avoid labels such as, environmentalist, because it brings bias with it. Being serious might not always be the best tone to present an issue. Attempt using other tones such as the Theory of Fun. Make information visible for people to see it. Make sure that solutions are coupled with information so people know how to act. Go above and beyond and provide ways for people to be more sustainable. Many people see the issues and want to contribute but do not know how or where to go. Have a Kai Zen approach. Nobody is perfect so focus on constant improvement by setting realistic goals.
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