The psychological downstream consequences of recycling

Increasingly, consumers are encouraged to engage in recycling behaviors, and they are also frequently exposed to various recycling-related stimuli in the environment such as recycling bins and recycling posters. However, little research has been conducted to examine the psychological consequences of recycling. In this research, I investigate two downstream consequences of recycling: consumer waiting and sensation seeking. The first set of experiments demonstrates that recycling (both engaging in recycling behaviors and being exposed to recycling-related information) increases consumers' willingness to wait for products and services because it activates the concept of an extended life span, which increases consumers' perceived time availability. Nine studies (one pilot study, six labo...[ Read more ]