Are Environmentalists Better Romantic Partners?

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If you need another reason to recycle, maybe this is it: New evidence suggests “going green” could make you a prime candidate for finding long-term love.

How might this work? And isn’t it a bit counterintuitive?

After all, much of the existing research on romantic attraction shows that buying extravagant luxuries (e.g., a BMW) instead of lower-cost, eco-friendly counterparts (e.g., a Prius) tends to boost people’s attractiveness. Indeed, scholars have shown that women generally find men who engage in conspicuous consumption (display their wealth) as more desirable, at least for short-term relationships, than those who don’t (Sundie et al., 2011).

The appeal of conspicuous consumption can be explained through the lens of evolutionary psychology, which holds the premise that women seek men who seem most able to provide resources. Basically, if you have enough excess income to buy an expensive car—and can endure that financial sacrifice—people can infer that you probably have enough resources to take care of a partner and any offspring. This notion underlies the evidence that conspicuous consumption fuels romantic interest.

Where does “going green” fit in to an evolutionary story about romantic attraction?

"Going green” is a different type of sacrifice. Instead of opting for indulgent features and optimal performance, someone who chooses an eco-friendly product is putting the environment ahead of his or her own needs. This pro-social behavior, or conspicuous conservation, seems also to create a favorable impression. Individuals who make pro-environmental product decisions are viewed as highly attractive potential partners… but specifically in the long-term context.

What exactly happens when you go green?

People who opt for eco-friendly products over luxury items, when the items cost the same amount, are seen as warmer and more competent, and as being more responsible, generous, and faithful, than those who choose luxury over eco-friendly (DiDonato & Jakubiak, 2015). These characteristics present little to benefit in short-term affairs, but they are very desirable in a long-term partner.

The idea seems clear: If you’re looking for long-term love, making eco-friendly decisions may promote the impression that you could be a terrific long-term partner. It seems that how you spend your money may communicate dispositional characteristics linked to different types of potential as a romantic partner—fronting the bill for something eco-friendly in which you bear the burden of lesser performance, versus spending the same cash on something convenient and high performance, could reveal that you have a host of good partner traits.

If, however, you’re more interested in short-term encounters, you might actually be better off going for something extravagant and showy, instead of eco-friendly (except, of course, for the cost to the environment).

If anything, we have found, strangers might infer that you’re less physically attractive if you opt for responsible, eco-friendly options instead of the luxury expense—and that won’t help your short-term hook-up plans. That's right: Physical appeal, highly valued in short-term contexts, is not, apparently, quickly associated with environmental decision-making.

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References

DiDonato, T. E., & Jakubiak, B. K. (2015). Sustainable decisions signal sustainable relationships: How purchasing decisions affect perceptions and romantic attraction. The Journal of Social Psychology. Advanced online publication.

Sundie, J. M., Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V., Tybur, J. M., Vohs, K. D., & Beal, D. J. (2011).Peacocks, porsches, and Thorstein Veblen: conspicuous consumption as a sexual signaling system. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 664-680.