Many biases and emotions affect human decision-making, which businesses need to understand and work with responsibly (that is, not just cynically exploit). From loss aversion and confirmation to survivorship and social conformity, there are numerous types of mental bias, all giving us the illusion of control and cause and effect. Our brain works with stereotypes, instincts and stories rooted in emotional System 1 thinking, often filling in the gaps automatically rather than by conscious, System 2 reasoning. So it’s worth reflecting on whether businesses encourage customers to use System 1 thinking when buying their products and not just the slow, rational cost–benefit analysis of System 2. Does a business’s marketing, point of sale, packaging and pricing only appeal to the myth of the rational economic consumer? Or does it use any mental biases to trigger an emotional and instinctive lifting of the product off the shelf and into the customer’s basket?
Ultimately, a business needs to knowledgeably and responsibly engage with both the rational and emotional thinking of a consumer to really empower them to make more sustainable choices – because when it comes to purchase decision-making, it’s the feeling of power at that moment that often has more impact than any new information imparted. A raft of fascinating new research known as ‘self-validation theory’ has found that the more powerful people are made to feel, the more confident they are about acting on their pre-existing thoughts – and vice versa. So while adequate labelling and communication may be enough to influence consumers who feel less sure of themselves about sustainability, for those most confident and knowledgeable, such information may not be enough to counter their habitual choices and biases. Paradoxically, then, it may be the most experienced ethical consumers who are hardest to reach for responsible businesses with any new or improved products – particularly those who are already convinced that no product is truly sustainable anyway, and who prefer to make minimal or long-lasting purchases.
For this most wary cohort, the whole activity of ethical consumerism can be tainted by negative feelings of anxiety and fatalism that undermine its perceived value and their likelihood of engaging with it at all (what psychologists call ‘task-related affect’). That’s because the tenor of different emotions has been found to have a similar self-validating effect on people’s thoughts as power. So, if after thinking about something you experience unpleasant emotions, like anger or disgust, researchers have found this tends to invalidate those thoughts immediately preceding it – even if they are logically unrelated – because the emotion is misattributed to them. In the same way, pleasant emotions, like awe and surprise, can have the opposite effect and so validate any preceding thoughts.
Given this, it would seem important for businesses to try to create generally pleasant emotions around ethical shopping where possible, and encourage positive associations, even though the nature of trying to address sustainability issues can often be depressing. Fortunately, the ‘warm glow’ of positive emotions experienced by consumers making choices that chime with their personal values is well documented and a powerful driver for responsible consumption. Yet interestingly, for those shoppers yet to consider ethical purchases, researchers have found that negative emotions can also be a useful tool to invalidate any preconceived prejudices and open them up to alternatives. This is because the more pleasant the emotions, the more confident people feel in their thoughts, and so the less receptive they become to new information. If you are in a good mood, you are more likely to go with the flow and be persuaded by special offers or make habitual choices, letting System 1 thinking take control. If you are a bit grumpy (for whatever reason), you are more sceptical and likely to look closer at the label or terms or conditions, triggering System 2 thinking. Emotions, it would seem, are complicated!