Looking at Emotions to Understand Responses to Environmental Challenges

Clayton, Susan; Ogunbode, Charles

Abstract

Emotions are keys to understanding the response to environmental problems. We discuss three important roles. First, emotions like worry, anxiety, pride and hope can motivate pro-environmental behaviour. Second, emotions are also consequences; the emotional impacts of environmental degradation, such as climate anxiety, can affect mental health, and recognising these impacts is necessary to encourage individual and societal resilience. Finally, emotion also has a communicative function and is part of shared experience. The ability to describe and elicit shared emotions in response to environmental problems allows those problems to become part of social discourse, which is necessary for addressing them. Research in all these areas can help guide an adaptive response to environmental challenges.

Citation

Clayton, S., & Ogunbode, C. (2023). Looking at Emotions to Understand Responses to Environmental Challenges. Emotion Review, 15(4), 275-278. https://doi.org/10.1177/17540739231193757

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 25, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Aug 8, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-10
• Deposit Date: Sep 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 22, 2023
• Journal: Emotion Review
• Print ISSN: 1754-0739
• Electronic ISSN: 1754-0747
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 275-278
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/17540739231193757
• Keywords: Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); Experimental and Cognitive Psychology; Social Psychology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/24570353
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17540739231193757