A Guilt-Driven Life
Photo from Shark Truth, a campaign to find alternatives to shark fin soup
A couple of weeks ago, I saw an interesting post from The Atlantic magazine come across Facebook. It was titled provocatively, “Is it okay to eat an inhumane meal if it’s traditional?”
The substance of the article was about the enjoyment of shark’s fin, which is a popular and controversial delicacy across Asia. The fins are procured in a process called “finning,” where fishermen cut them off and toss the sharks helplessly back in the ocean to die.
While not of the same magnitude at all, this reminded of an e-mail my mom sent me recently about LED Christmas lights. A proponent of the traditional, she, like many people, doesn’t think the new, energy efficient lights have the same fun holiday spirit as the antique lights of the past. And she doesn’t appreciate being made to feel bad about her preference.
Through our world’s history, changes in tradition have often been driven by societal pressure. Today, much of that pressure comes from the sustainability/social responsibility movement. When we talk about sustainability, our messages often hinge on morality—or guilt. By making “good” choices, you help save the world. And by making “bad” choices, you hurt the world. So, does guilt work?
In a word: Yes.
But maybe it’s not that simple.
Scientists, psychologists and marketers have been studying the effects of emotions on consumers for a long time. Not surprisingly, they play a huge role in the decisions we make.
In a research described in The New York Times earlier this year, scientists found that consumers who were once reacting with desire for expensive handbags now look upon the same products with something like repulsion—because the recession has conditioned them to feel guilty for considering something so expensive but non essential to their lives.
Many retailers see shame as an impediment to economic recovery. People don’t feel bad just about buying handbags. They feel bad about buying anything.
Researchers have even found that fear and guilt are more motivating than any other message, including hope.
“Making people feel good is less important than making people feel accountable when it comes to making wise decisions about self-protection,” wrote Kirsten A. Passyn of Salisbury University and Mita Sujan of Tulane University in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.
But there is evidence that guilt gets its power from being different. The more people hear guilt-driven messages, the more savvy and skeptical they become. In essence, perhaps the more we play the “guilt card,” the less it works.
So, my question is: What role should guilt play in our advocacy of sustainability? Do we stand the best chance of success by making people feel accountable for their actions. Or, in the end, will guilt only turn people off?
What do you think?
