The Neuroscience of Climate Doom vs Climate Solutions With Professor Joshua Carlson

<p>Have you ever had a hunch that scary or negative images of climate change could turn people away or cause them to shut down? This is what professor Joshua Carlson from North Michigan University <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343378320_Paying_attention_to_climate_change_Positive_images_of_climate_change_solutions_capture_attention">has been studying</a> in his cognitive science lab.</p> <p>Environmental communications has often used "negative" images such as drought, fire, melting glaciers, pollution, or deforestation. However, we also use "positive" images that show solutions such as solar panels, green roofs, or wind turbines.</p> <p>Joshua's research tested the effect that positive (solutions-oriented) images and negative (problem-orientated) images had on people's attention and cognition. In this episode, he'll be sharing his insights on how negative climate images were found to slow attention and cause a "freezing" effect which has serious implications for how we communicate about climate change.</p> <p><a href="https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL">Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon</a></p> <p>Sign up to <a href="https://katiepatrick.com/">katiepatrick.com</a> for my free video course on environmental gamification and behavior design.</p> <p>Follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/katiepatrick">Twitter @katiepatrick</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/">Instagram @katiepatrickhello</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick-4474499/">LinkedIn</a></p> <p>Contribute a monthly donation at <a href="https://patreon.com/katiepatrick">patreon.com/katiepatrick</a> to help me continue to make these episodes possible.</p> <p>Thank you to&nbsp;Jordan, Nader, Mike, Gary, Alex, Ben, Dee, and Ian for contributing! Xx</p>