Gonzalo Palomo-Vélez

Assistant Professor of Social Psychology

Is green the new sexy? Romantic of conspicuous conservation


Journal article


Gonzalo Palomo-Vélez, Joshua M. Tybur, Mark Van Vugt
Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 73, 2021 Feb, p. 101530


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APA   Click to copy
Palomo-Vélez, G., Tybur, J. M., & Van Vugt, M. (2021). Is green the new sexy? Romantic of conspicuous conservation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 73, 101530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101530


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Palomo-Vélez, Gonzalo, Joshua M. Tybur, and Mark Van Vugt. “Is Green the New Sexy? Romantic of Conspicuous Conservation.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 73 (February 2021): 101530.


MLA   Click to copy
Palomo-Vélez, Gonzalo, et al. “Is Green the New Sexy? Romantic of Conspicuous Conservation.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 73, Feb. 2021, p. 101530, doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101530.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{palomo-v2021a,
  title = {Is green the new sexy? Romantic of conspicuous conservation},
  year = {2021},
  month = feb,
  journal = {Journal of Environmental Psychology},
  pages = {101530},
  volume = {73},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101530},
  author = {Palomo-Vélez, Gonzalo and Tybur, Joshua M. and Van Vugt, Mark},
  month_numeric = {2}
}

Conspicuous conservation refers to pro-environmental activities that are intended as signals of some attractive quality of the actor. As some of these qualities are desirable in romantic partners, people may purchase green products or services to impress potential romantic partners. We propose that conspicuous conservation communicates generosity – a trait that is especially valued in long-term romantic partners. Two studies tested whether people's sustainable product preferences influence how they are perceived as romantic partners (Study 1), and whether actual product preferences are aligned with these perceptions (Study 2). Results from Study 1 suggest that people presented as having purchased green products are perceived as more generous and more attractive as long-term – but also short-term – romantic partners. Results from Study 2 suggest that individuals primed to think about a romantic context are no more likely to prefer sustainable products, suggesting an actor-observer discrepancy that potentially adds to the honesty of the conspicuous conservation signal. The potential communicative value of conspicuous conservation is discussed in relation to the literature on costly signaling, sexual selection, and green marketing.

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