Oops, I did it again: Patterns of spillover across sustainable and unsustainable choices

Background Studies of pro‐environmental spillover tend to use paradigms that examine either positive or negative spillover. By neglecting to provide for examination of all possible directions of spillover, such approaches are inherently limited. Further, the roles of decision sequencing and difficulty have received limited attention. Aims The present work investigates the influences of behavioural valence, decision sequencing and difficulty on spillover. Methods In two pre‐registered studies (total N = 3, 260) focused on dining contexts, choice alternatives across three decision points encompassed sustainable and unsustainable options to allow for detection of all possible directions of spillover. Results Both studies yielded evidence of positive spillover. Additionally, in Study 2, an experiment in which participants believed their choices carried real consequences, many individuals engaged in ‘adverse spillover,’ choosing consistently unsustainable options and illuminating an overlooked spillover variant. We also find that the first choice in a sequence is generally the least sustainable, regardless of difficulty. Discussion and Conclusion This work advances spillover research by revealing that in addition to positive spillover, consistency can manifest as several unsustainable choices. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.