Schultz et al., 2007: Rewarding residents with a happy face for saving energy reduced their energy use even more over three weeks
Reference:
Schultz, P. W., Nolan, J. M., Cialdini, R. B., Goldstein, N. J., & Griskevicius, V. (2007). The constructive, destructive, and reconstructive power of social norms. Psychological science, 18(5), 429-434.
Download PDFSummary:
Residents received handwritten information about (1) energy use in their home in the previous week and (2) information about how much energy the average household in their neighborhood had used. Some residents also received (3) a happy face if they were using less energy than average or a sad face if they were using more. Among those residents who were using less energy than others, the addition of the happy face reduced energy use over the subsequent three weeks.
Psychological Process:
Need
Need to BelongWhat Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To Feel Connected, Included, Respected, and Valued by OthersApproach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Link Belonging to a Behavior or Attitude to Motivate Positive ChangeHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
What is typical or valued in my social community?What is typical or valued in my social community?Changing beliefs about social norms to motivate positive behaviorsPsychological Question Addressed
What is typical or valued in my social community?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Sustainability
Intervention Technique:
Direct labeling, of social norms