Sure, getting organic bok choy and phosphate-free toilet-bowl cleaner can make you feel good about yourself, but how good? And does buying green translate into more redeeming behavior overall? Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong of the University of Toronto conducted three experiments on 305 subjects to find out. It turns out that just being exposed to green products - seeing a TV commercial or walking by an organic store -- created a "halo effect" that makes people more charitable and trusting. But actualy buying green products was like getting a license for hypocrisy: After a purchase, the green consumers were more likely to lie and steal.
Mazar points out that more and more consumers are buying green and socially responsible products, which gives them "moral capital" (ak.a. a superiority complex).
Popular Science August 2010
