Small, Immediate Gains More Tempting than Large, Long Term Gains Regarding Environment

Ruedigar Matthes — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:53:23 +0000

We’ve all done the elementary school math story problem: Would you rather have $10,000 right now, or a penny doubled every day for a month? Well, in the end, those of us who were greedy enough to take the $10,000 right up front ended up poorer than those who took the penny.

This problem seems silly to us though. Now what about this one. Would you rather take $1,000 right now or $4,000 three years from now? Chances are, you chose the immediate cash. Psychologists use the term ”delay discounting” to describe our inability to resist the temptation of a smaller immediate reward in lieu of receiving a larger reward later. Most people choose the smaller, more immediate reward over the larger “patience is a virtue” reward.

And no matter what the context, discounting stems from three factors: a bias for the present; uncertainty; and projected resources. We are a people who thrive on instant gratification; that’s one reason we love TV so much. It is also a contributing factor to the current economic crisis (and debt in general).

Have Eco-Anxiety? You Probably Do, But There’s Hope

Max Lindberg — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:20:29 +0000

More and more people are showing up at their therapists these days with signs of what is called eco-anxiety, or fear concerning environmental issues. Santa Fe, NM therapist Melissa Pickett says this unrest has been growing in the last two years, and may be the tip of the iceberg.

Michael d’Estries wrote about Melissa in May, and I had the occasion to interview her recently about this issue, and the field of eco-psychology. You can hear the interview at The Lindberg Report.

Melissa spent several years in the corporate world as a banking executive and trainer for a marketing firm. In an effort to sharpen her people skills, she went back to school and earned a Masters Degree in Counseling. Finding the field personally rewarding, she shifted her business emphasis from organizational development to private counseling.

Melissa has been in practice since 2000, and is President of Soulways Center for Conscious Evolution. The first signs of eco-anxiety emerged in sessions with her clients on a large scale within the past two years, and it appears to be growing. Her work has led to interviews on Canadian television, in TIME Magazine’s online edition, and publications in Spain and Brazil.

What is eco-anxiety? How do we know if we have it, and what can we do to ease the discomfort? My podcast interview with Melissa is HERE…

Green Options » eco psychology

Small, Immediate Gains More Tempting than Large, Long Term Gains Regarding Environment

Have Eco-Anxiety? You Probably Do, But There’s Hope