Why We're Better With Some Threats Than Others (An Earth Month Re-Run)
Mar 17, 2025
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In this engaging conversation, Dan Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor and happiness expert, discusses our human tendency to prioritize immediate threats over distant crises like climate change. He delves into societal biases that hinder proactive reactions, explaining how we react more strongly to threats we can see. The talk highlights strategies to harness psychological insights for environmental action, emphasizing the importance of framing and individual contributions. Gilbert encourages imagining positive futures to motivate change and emphasizes the urgency of tackling climate issues.
Humans instinctively respond to immediate threats, making it challenging to address gradual issues like climate change effectively.
Emotional engagement through moral outrage and social proof can significantly enhance collective action towards environmental responsibility.
Deep dives
The Limitations of Human Threat Response
Human response to threats is typically immediate when faced with direct danger, such as an attack. However, this instinct does not apply to more gradual and complex threats like climate change. The brain is wired to react to urgent threats, which often leads to inaction regarding long-term concerns that feel less pressing. This disconnect makes it difficult for individuals to prioritize necessary but delayed actions that address global warming and other slow-evolving issues.
Agentic Threats and Climate Change Perception
Psychologically, people tend to respond more strongly to threats perceived as agentic, or caused by identifiable individuals or groups. Climate change lacks a clear, malevolent actor, making it harder for individuals to engage emotionally. This absence of intent diminishes the urgency felt by many, leading to a general sense of apathy towards the threat. Without a face or clear source behind climate change, motivating collective action becomes significantly more challenging.
Moral Dimensions in Environmental Action
Moral outrage can drive action far more effectively than fear alone, but climate change does not typically invoke such feelings. While environmental disasters can generate outrage when they are linked to identifiable wrongdoing, the slow-churning nature of climate change does not elicit the same response. This leads to a reluctance to act, as the moral implications are less apparent. Without clear moral violations that resonate on an emotional level, mobilizing public opinion and action becomes a daunting task.
Harnessing Psychology for Collective Action
Utilizing psychological insights can facilitate positive collective action towards climate change. Recognizing how social proof influences behavior, campaigns can encourage people to adopt eco-friendly practices by showcasing the actions of their peers. Additionally, emphasizing the practical and economic benefits of sustainable choices can enhance engagement. By focusing on positive outcomes and shared values, it becomes possible to galvanize communities toward proactive environmental responsibilities.
Earth Day is coming on April 22, but the whole month is seen as an opportunity to think about environmental issues and what we as individuals can do to help out.
It seemed like a good time to rerun an episode we made with Harvard professor Dan Gilbert about why we humans are great at tackling immediate threats, but find it harder to motivate ourselves to address problems that seem a longer way off. It's why we often don't save for our retirements, and why we're finding it difficult to take action on climate change.