Table Of Contenti
PRAISE FOR INSPIRING GREEN
CONSUMER CHOICES
“Marketers are increasingly recognizing the value of viewing consumer
behavior through the lenses of neuroscience and behavioral economics. This
ground-breaking new book extends the application of such insights to the
problem of encouraging sustainable consumption. In it the author outlines
pathways to accelerate the transition to a greener marketplace. A must-read!”
Carla Nagel, Executive Director, Neuromarketing Science and
Business Association
“This much-needed book lays the ground for public and private organizations
to take action that promote sustainable behaviors in consumers and citizens.
Dr. Michael Smith leverages his expertise in consumer neuroscience and the
behavioral sciences to develop a practical guide that could help mitigate the
impact of the traditional consumer economy on the planet through changes in
consumer behavior.”
Manuel Garcia-Garcia, PhD Global Lead of Neuroscience, Ipsos
“The gap between consumers’ good green intentions and their actual behavior
is a key leverage point in the urgent fight for a greener economy. This book will
help anyone in the business of marketing and selling understand the reasons
for this gap, so they can develop ways to overcome it. It’s rare that a book on
consumer behavior has historic importance but I believe this one truly does.
The message is clear: to save the planet we must understand the human mind.”
Darren Bridger, Chief Research Officer at CloudArmy and
author of Neuro Design
“In this terrific new book, Michael E. Smith applies his deep knowledge of
both brain science and consumer behavior to answer one of the most
challenging questions of our time: how can we change the mental models that
guide consumer behavior to encourage more sustainable and environmentally-
friendly choices in the marketplace? The answer is often surprising and
counterintuitive. If you care about practical solutions for the planet and the
future of humanity, you need to read this book, closely and without delay.”
Stephen Genco, author of Intuitive Marketing and
Neuromarketing for Dummies
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iii
Inspiring Green Consumer
Choices
Leverage Neuroscience to Reshape
Marketplace Behavior
Michael E. Smith
iv
Publisher’s note
Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is
accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept
responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or
damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material
in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author.
First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2021 by Kogan Page Limited
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as
permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be
reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in
writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms
and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be
sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses:
2nd Floor, 45 Gee Street 122 W 27th St, 10th Floor 4737/23 Ansari Road
London EC1V 3RS New York, NY 10001 Daryaganj
United Kingdom USA New Delhi 110002
India
www.koganpage.com www.koganpage.com
Kogan Page books are printed on paper from sustainable forests.
© Michael E. Smith 2021
The right of Michael E. Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
ISBNs
Hardback 978 1 3986 0102 4
Paperback 978 1 3986 0100 0
Ebook 978 1 3986 0101 7
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Control Number
2021029201
Typeset by Integra
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY
v
For Huxley, Jennifer and Linda
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vii
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
01 Growing Cracks in the Consumer Economy 5
Overflowing With Stuff 5
Limits to a Linear Consumer Economy 11
From Linear to Circular Views of the Consumer Economy 16
References 22
02 The Not-So-Conscious Consumer 25
The Intention–Action Gap 26
Automaticity in Everyday Behavior 29
Mental Heuristics: Judgment Under Uncertainty 34
Implicit Networks of Association Guide Product Choice 37
References 42
03 Decoding Consumer Wanting and Liking 45
The Shopping Brain 45
From Laboratory to Marketplace 52
Brain Activity and the Green Intention–Action Gap 54
Preferences and the Default Heuristic 56
References 62
04 The Force of Habit in Consumer Behavior 65
Forms of Learning and Memory in the Brain 66
Declarative Memory 69
Habits: Actions Without Intentions 72
Habits of Visual Attention 77
Visual Habits Can Affect Market Dynamics 78
References 82
viii ContEntS
05 Green Intentions Are Not Enough 85
Green Purchase Intentions 86
Best-Laid Plans: Actions Impervious to Intentions 91
Strategizing for Change 96
References 103
06 Leveraging the Social Imperative 107
The Social Brain 108
The Social Brain in Action 112
Appealing to the Social Brain 119
Social Contagion and Dynamic Norms 123
References 125
07 Evading the Behavioral Immune System 131
The Disgusted Brain 132
Disgust and the “Behavioral Immune System” 136
From Disgust to Magical Contagion 137
Circularity, Biology, and the Behavioral Immune System 139
Magical Contamination of the Technical Material Stream 144
References 146
08 Confronting the Need for Cognitive Consistency 151
People Have a Strong Need to be Cognitively Consistent 152
“Hobgoblin” or Cognitive Dissonance? 153
The Brain Builds Its Own Filter Bubbles 158
Motivated Skepticism 162
Motivated Skepticism and Green Marketing 164
References 167
09 Public Policy and Internalizing Externalities 173
Natural Capital 173
Barriers and Benefits and Behavior Change 177
Incentives, Disincentives, and Motivation 183
Regulatory Policies to Enable Circular Consumption 188
References 192
ContEntS ix
Conclusion 197
Greening Consumption and the Post-Consumerism Mindset 197
The Emerging Portrait of the Consumer in a Green Economy 199
Rethinking Consumer Literacy in the Anthropocene 204
References 210
Index 213
