How to stay optimistic when the environment feels like falling
Achieving optimism over environmental reality can help people become aware and hopeful for a positive outcome. Photo: A. Sergeev
People like optimism. It's not wise - optimism makes us feel good and want more. This attraction has deep neurological roots that affect both of us. brain functions and how we process new information.
Therefore, optimism is strong. Optimistic individuals or groups are often better negotiators in the business world, who are performing better in sports , and heal faster from illness . Feeling optimistic can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
However, pessimism can also be a useful tool (and a logical conclusion) for scientists trying to give dark and difficult messages about protection, extinction risks or climate change. Shock titles draw attention - and may reflect reality more accurately. But too much leads to fatigue and separation.
Our research, published today at BioScience, summarizes the steps to combine optimism and pessimism in a useful way when talking about environmental protection. In order to understand how positive and negative thinking affects human performance, we took a deep dive into the literature from psychology, business, policy and communication disciplines.
Know your audience
To ensure that your environmental message does not change, you first need to know who your audience is. What are your daily fears and future concerns? For the good of nature, or only when it affects them? How do they perceive scientists? Knowing the basics will help you organize your message.
Suppose we want to rebuild an endangered forest that has largely forgotten its existence. The benefits of restoring a forgotten habitat are many: mental health benefits wise, wandering between old trees, the intense routine of forest creatures shaking the soil, improving forest productivity and clearing the rivers and the abundant fruits falling from the shade. Not to mention the beauty and wonder of nature that inspires and illuminates.
Obviously, the benefits of forest protection can be framed in many ways for many viewers, whether their primary concern is environmental, social, economic or personal. Knowing the values and fears of your target audience will help you determine which information will resonate.
To raise awareness about the threat
The shock is remarkable, so clearly explaining a clear environmental problem is a good strategy for creating initial awareness. A frustration or recent loss (for example, the fish in the Franklin River or Murray Darling Basin in Tasmania) has more striking features than positive news, especially when framed to address the audience's primary concerns. This is where pessimism is necessary - and in fact it can simply be realism.
In our endangered forests, valuable wood was in danger of extinction. Without the shade of the tree, the soil became poisonous and hard under the cooking sun, making the soil unsafe for human use. The inaccessibility of the last remaining patches means that a small number of people will be able to experience their wonders and soon lose their collective memory.
How to stay upbeat when the environment feels like falling Forest accessibility is important for hikers.
This is where the first step in understanding the values of your audience helps. Accessibility of forests can be the most important for willing hikers. For those focusing on the cost of living, you can emphasize that they need to pay for water treatment plants without forest filtering and drinking water.
If trees are extinct, there will be a sustainable timber industry that reduces employment. (It also relates to intergenerational equality where previous generations benefit at the expense of subsequent generations.)
Create optimism with success stories
While negative news draws attention, the absence of hope can quickly lead to despair and separation. With the emergence of optimism in the face of environmental crises, people can remain both aware and hopeful for a positive outcome.
Indeed, the expectation of a positive result is a basic motivation for people to remain connected for a reason . But where can optimism be found when everyone seems to disappear?
Optimism can be built behind environmental success stories . In our example, endangered trees produce more seeds than necessary to replace old trees. Using these seeds, a local community reforested a toxic area in which an old forest stood and produced early signs of a healthy restored ecosystem. Such a success story provides optimism for other communities to predict success in their backyard.
Specify a forward path
Neither hope nor fear alone will change people's behavior. To allow change, people must believe that their actions can make a difference. Therefore, our next step is to effectively instill optimism by offering the audience a way to deal with the issue.
The first success of the regenerated forest brought optimism to other revival efforts. However, without public pressure, local governments consider the restoration investment unnecessary (especially when the city's water treatment plants need updating).
However, once the councils are convinced and communities are engaged, we can plant the seeds of healing and build community management for long-term care.
Create community spirit
Our last step is to create a sense of community. Believing in the collective ability of a united group gives us motivation and commitment. . Belonging to a group can empower the individual and help them confront a topic that they cannot handle alone.
Nasıl bir ortam düşüyor gibi hissettiğinde iyimser kalmak It is difficult to overlook the positive community spirit. Mike Lemmon / flickr , CC-NC-SA
Encouraging the target group to form community groups can see a public pressure reduced for a flood. Local administrators can ignore the demands of one or two forest lovers, but it is difficult to ignore a group of voters seeking action.
The power of positive thinking has long been known. But environmental optimism is not a panacea. It needs to be balanced with the fact of environmental pessimism. They both have motivating virtues and find a balance between them is remarkable and takes action in the long run.
Our forest sample is based on our experience of reinstating Australia. lost oyster reefs . 20 hectare oyster reef restoration in South Australia Provided by local enthusiasm of a rural community strengthened by the expertise of a non-governmental organization and solution seekers in several government departments; all supported by the reliability of university research. Konuşma
About Authors
Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral Fellow, Marine Ecology, University of Adelaide ; Sean Connell, Professor, Ecology, University of Adelaide and Zoe Doubleday, Research Fellow, University of South Australia
This article has been re-published at: Speech under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .
20AXX
Zarbee's Naturals Children's Sleep Liquid with Melatonin Supplement, Natural Berry Flavor, 1 Ounce Bottle
