The virtuous loop between affective well-being and pro-environmental behaviors

Creating a sustainable society necessitates policies that foster human well-being and encourage individuals to engage in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) aimed at reducing their environmental footprint. However, the compatibility of these goals remains uncertain. While pro-environmental behavior often correlates positively with individuals’ subjective well-being (SWB), the identification of a causal relationship with SWB remains unclear. Based on a field experiment, supplemented by online surveys, in which French university students ( n = 294 ) could participate in a paid or unpaid volunteer litter cleanup, or donate to an environmental association according to random allocation to different treatment groups, we find evidence of a virtuous loop between pro-environmental actions and the affective component of SWB. Indeed, the feeling of happiness is associated with a higher likelihood of volunteering for unpaid litter cleanup participation, but not for paid litter cleanup or monetary donation. Additionally, we observe an increase in overall affective well-being (AWB) after participation compared to before among individuals who took part in litter cleanup activities, whether paid or unpaid. These results suggest that policies targeting human well-being are likely to generate mutually reinforcing dynamics between well-being and PEB.