October 9, 2009
Steal this!
A Canadian study shows that people who buy green products tend to lie and steal more than those who don't:
Toronto, October 6, 2009 -Those lyin', cheatin' green consumers.
Just being around green products can make us behave more altruistically, a new study to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science has found.
But buying those same products can have the opposite effect. Researchers found that buying green can lead people into less altruistic behaviour, and even make them more likely to steal and lie than after buying conventional products. Buying products that claim to be made with low environmental impact can set up "moral credentials" in people's minds that give license to selfish or questionable behavior.
The answer to the dilemma seems clear: Steal green products only and then lie about it.