Feeling saintly for picking up all-natural laundry detergent? Ironically, your next move will probably be more self-interested. A study in Psychological Science found that whereas people act more altruistic after exposure to green (vs. conventional) products, they behave less so and are more likely to cheat and even steal after purchasing the planet-friendly variety. That's because you earn moral "credit" by buying green items, says Nina Mazar, a researcher at the University of Toronto. "Next time you are in a conflict-of-interest situation, you're more likely to do the selfish thing, because you've earned yourself some slack."
By the same logic, a Prius purchase actually might give you license to do more pleasure cruising, or an Energy Star sticker might lead you to toss in more frequent, skimpy laundry loads. Says Markman: "Whether you actually succeed at conserving the environment by buying green is an open question."
Psychology Today
March/April 2011
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