In a blogpost for leading Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, evolutionary psychologist and university professor Mark van Vugt explains why we have not yet collectively switched to a sustainable lifestyle — even though we all know we should.
It’s not in our instincts.
Our Stone Age brains are wired for other purposes. Van Vugt explains:
Evolution fitted us with a particular psychology for leading a lifestyle of hunter-gatherer (as our ancesters would do for millions of years). They came, ate everything, and moved on to a new place. This psychology makes it difficult to lead a sustainable lifestyle in a modern world of scarcity.
He identifies 5 counter-sustainable human instincts:
So while at a certain level we understand that the environment is threatened, we don’t feel it. And if we don’t feel it, our brain doesn’t act upon it.
However.
The 5 insights that Van Vugt give us 5 practical leads on how to market our message. Whatever we communicate, it has to be about:
Quite a good checklist!
1. UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM
On sustainability
2. UNDERSTANDING HOW THE WORLD WORKS
On nature
On human nature
On the meaning of life and living
On culture
On morality
3. UNDERSTANDING HOW CHANGE WORKS
On the Next Level Society
On behavioral change
On marketing sustainability
4-A. FIXING HOW WE DESIGN THE WORLD
On naturalness
On naturalness in behaviour
On naturalness in art
Artworks of interest
On naturalness in architecture
Architecture of interest: naturalness
On livable architecture
Architecture of interest: livability
On naturalness in design
Design works of interest
4-B. FIXING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OURSELVES
On well-being, self care and happiness
4-C. FIXING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
On responsible business
On Positive Design & design ethics
On privacy
Progressieve bureaus van Nederland, 2021
OTHER NOTES AND WRITINGS
On digital design, CX/UX, and technology
On the travel & hospitality industry
Miscellaneous