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Anger is most powerful emotion by far for spurring climate action, study finds

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By illuminem briefings

· 2 min read


illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Guardian or enjoy below

🗞️ Driving the news: A recent study conducted in Norway among 2,000 adults has revealed that anger is the strongest emotional predictor for engaging in climate activism
• The link to activism through anger was found to be seven times stronger than hope

🔭 The context: Psychologists worldwide are working to understand how emotions related to the destruction of the environment affect mental health and behavior
• This Norwegian study shows that emotions significantly affect attitudes and intentions towards climate action

🌎 Why does it matter for the planet: The findings may guide how activists and policymakers communicate about climate change
• Understanding the impact of emotions on activism might help in mobilizing people and fostering positive change

⏭️ What's next: The results of this study might prompt further research into how emotions such as anger, fear, guilt, and hope drive not only intentions but actual behavior in the climate movement 
• Activists and policymakers could also refine their strategies based on these emotional triggers

💬 One quote: "Rather than climate anxiety, we should be calling it politician anxiety or people anxiety, because it’s the people in power who are failing to do the right thing whilst lying to us, or doing the opposite, that is causing the terror" (Caroline Hickman, a climate psychologist at the University of Bath)

📈 One stat: For every two steps a person took along the anger scale in the study, they moved one step along the activism scale

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