Qualifications such as "global warming hysteria" and "energy policy schizophrenia" put forward by some climate change skeptics, usually outside the academic arena, may suggest that people who seriously worry about the environment suffer from psychological imbalance. The present study aimed to refute this thesis. While habitual worrying in general is strongly associated with psychopathological symptoms, in a survey a near-zero correlation was found between habitual ecological worrying and pathological worry. Instead, habitual ecological worrying was associated with pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and with a personality structure characterized by imagination and an appreciation for new ideas. The study had sufficient statistical power and measures were valid and reliable. The results confirm that those who habitually worry about the ecology are not only lacking in any psychopathology, but demonstrate a constructive and adaptive response to a serious problem. In the public domain, these findings may contribute to a more rational and less emotional debate on climate change and to the prevention of stigmatization of people who are genuinely concerned about our habitat and are prepared to do something about it ("habitual worriers are not crazy"). In the academic arena this study may contribute to environmental psychology ("habitual worrying is part of a green identity"), as well as to the literature on worry and anxiety ("habitual worrying can be a constructive response").

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3762778PMC
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0074708PLOS

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

climate change
12
habitual ecological
12
ecological worrying
12
adaptive response
8
academic arena
8
"habitual worrying
8
worrying
6
"my worries
4
worries rational
4
rational climate
4

Similar Publications

TerraSAR-X SAR data for classification of ice-free areas and glacier facies on Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica.

An Acad Bras Cienc

January 2025

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Agronomia, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

The region of the Maritime Antarctic suffers significantly from climate change, resulting in regional warming and consequently affecting coverage. This study characterized three surface zones of Collins Glacier and three other zones in ice-free areas on the Fildes Peninsula, which has an area of 29.6 km².

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To assess the impact of ongoing, historically unprecedented Arctic ice melting, precisely synchronized chronologies are indispensable for past analogs of abrupt climate change. Around 12,900 years before present (B.P.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coral persistence in the Anthropocene depends on interactions among holobiont partners (coral animals and microbial symbionts) and their environment. Cryptic coral lineages-genetically distinct yet morphologically similar groups-are critically important as they often exhibit functional diversity relevant to thermal tolerance. In addition, environmental parameters such as thermal variability may promote tolerance, but how variability interacts with holobiont partners to shape responses to thermal challenge remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Shell colour luminance of Cuban painted snails, Polymita picta and Polymita muscarum (Gastropoda: Cepolidae).

PLoS One

January 2025

Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Departamento de Biología y Geografía, Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

Climate change is a global environmental threat, directly affecting biodiversity. Terrestrial gastropods are particularly susceptible to alterations in temperature and humidity and have develop morph-physiological and behavioural adaptations in this regard. Shell colour polymorphism and its potential implication for thermoresistance constitute an unexplored field in Neotropical land snails.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!