How do incidental emotions impact pro-environmental behavior? Evidence from the dictator game
Résumé
The aim of the paper is to study the impact of emotions on monetary donation to pro-environmental causes and more precisely whether emotions could reinforce intrinsic motivations. We design a three-stage laboratory experiment. Firstly, participants have the possibility to get an endowment from an effort game. Secondly, emotions are induced to the participants. Thirdly, participants play a dictator game where the recipient is an environmental Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). In line with the functional theory in psychology, we show that two positive emotions with similar valence but of different sort (“Amusement” and “Awe”) impact significantly pro-environmental behavior in opposite ways regarding individuals’ generosity towards environmental NGOs. Moreover, we show that “Awe” reinforces intrinsic motivations.