Beauty Builds Cooperation by Increasing Moral Concern for the Environment

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the role of moral value in influencing cooperative behavior in environmental conservation. Our research involved two studies examining whether attributing moral value to non-sentient resources (the environment) impacts participants’ resource preservation actions. Results revealed that associating an environmental consequence with resource consumption led to increased cooperative behavior, driven by a desire to protect trees and nature’s intrinsic value. Further, participants demonstrated higher conservation efforts when the environmental consequence was paired with a beautiful image of a tree. These findings suggest that the beauty of nature may be a significant driver of cooperation. The results of these studies shed light on the non-monetary value that people place on resources. Beauty and the inherent value of nature may be critical for our understanding of environmental conservation, emphasizing the potential of moral and aesthetic appreciation as key drivers of pro-environmental actions.