If you drive a Prius, or carry a reusable bag from Whole Foods, you're doing right by the planet, it's true. But odds are, you're also doing yourself some good, too.
Sure, buying a green product like one of those long-life compact fluorescent bulbs means giving up the understated softness of a regular incandescent. But you also gain something precious when you buy a compact fluorescent: status. When your friends see the bulb screwed into the socket of your lamp, many of them will think you're a better, more socially conscious person (which you may well be).... Evolutionary psychologists have a cynical term for cooperative, procommunity behaviors like buying a Prius or shopping at Whole Foods or carrying a public-radio tote bag: competitive altruism. (emphasis added)
Ahh, isn't that nice. Competitive altruism. It sounds a bit cynical, but you know it's got the ring of truth. And there are implications for future "buy green" campaigns: Studies show "status motives led people to forgo luxury only when it could influence one's reputation." So get a spokesceleb, and price your green goods a little higher if you want to convey the kind of status that gets us to whip out our Visa cards.
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