greener lifestyles linked to greater happiness – in both rich and poor countries

The idea that “being green” means to sacrifice and go without was best exemplified in Boris Johnson’s denigration of the “hair shirt-wearing, tree-hugging, mung bean-eating eco freak”. The message was clear when the UK prime minister stated that in 2020, a sustainable lifestyle might be worthwhile, but it is a rather bleak state of affairs.

Look at the evidence, though, and you’ll find a different story. A wide array of evidence There are many options for researchThis shows that there is a positive link between environmental friendly behaviours and personal well-being. This could be because we feel better when we take steps to protect the environment. Basic psychological needsThis includes the feeling that we are making a positive contribution to the world, or acting on our own concerns and values.

The opposite effect can occur: people living in a Positive outlookThey are more likely than others to pay more attention and to act in a way that benefits the environment. It is becoming increasingly clear that a lifestyle that is geared towards consuming more energy and natural resource is not good. For the planetOr visit our website Your wellbeingThe tantalizing prospect exists that people could actually live better lives. consuming less.

A landmark reportThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that it is crucial to immediately abandon fossil fuels and the high-emission lifestyles that they allow. The good news? There may be more to this than people realize.

Good for you, and good for the Earth

In Recently published researchMy academic colleagues and I examined the relationship between environmental friendly actions and subjective wellbeing (essentially how happy a person feels). We wanted to determine if simultaneously living greener and happier lives was only possible in richer countries or for people who live in those countries. Maybe the chance to feel good about your green choices can only be afforded or accessible to a select few.

This question has remained unclear. Although research has been done in many parts of the globe on this topic, China, MexicoAnd The UKThe Majority of studiesThey have covered the lives and fortunes of people in the affluent north.

Survey data was collected from almost 7,000 people in seven countries, including Brazil, China and India, as well as South Africa, Poland, South Africa, Poland, India, Poland, South Africa, South Africa, Denmark, India, Poland, South Africa, and the UK. We found that, regardless of the country in which people lived, as their commitment to environmentally friendly action increased – for example, by reducing food waste, buying greener products, donating money to environmental campaigns or getting involved in conservation work – so too did their subjective wellbeing. This effect held across all seven of the countries we investigated – from Denmark, ranked 11th in the UN’s Human Development IndexIndia ranked 130th.

The connection between green behaviours and wellbeing was just as strong for those with lower incomes than those with higher incomes. We also found that individuals’ wellbeing increased in proportion to how altruistic and materialistic they were. Whether or not you are an avowed “tree hugger” seems to make little difference.

However, we did find that the relationship between wellbeing and behaviour is not universal. In places typically considered to be have a more collectivist social organisation and way of seeing the world – in our study, Brazil and China – we found that environmentally beneficial actions which engaged multiple people at once, such as planting trees together, had a particularly profound effect on wellbeing. This effect was not evident in the more individualistic societies, such as the UK and Denmark.

Accentuate the positives

Our findings suggest that there’s a consistent relationship between environmentally friendly action and personal wellbeing which spans different parts of the world and holds true for a range of personal circumstances and outlooks. As low-carbon eating habits tend to be healthier, so does a low-carbon lifestyle. To be healthier, Walking and cyclingGets us moving and reduces emissions. Our study adds to the evidence that green behaviour is associated with better quality of living.

To be clear, our research didn’t seek to compare green behaviours to any other kinds of activities. The study also doesn’t answer the chicken and egg question. It could be that green behavior is driven by higher well-being as much as it is the reverse. In either case, our results show that people who are more environmentally-friendly tend to be happier.

This should be good news to both campaigners and policymakers. Instead of assuming that doing the right thing for our environment is a burden, we should instead be looking for ways to highlight the positive potential. Both improving wellbeing and addressing climate crisis can be done. Cost-effective and socially attractive. It is important to emphasize the importance of taking action for both the planet and people in campaigns and initiatives that promote environmentally friendly behavior.

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