Under the Influence

By Robert H. Frank,

Book cover of Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work

Book description

From New York Times bestselling author and economics columnist Robert Frank, bold new ideas for creating environments that promise a brighter future

Psychologists have long understood that social environments profoundly shape our behavior, sometimes for the better, often for the worse. But social influence is a two-way street-our environments areā€¦

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Why read it?

1 author picked Under the Influence as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Destination weddings, glamorous McMansions, and luxury carsā€”this is the result of us seeing what our better-off compatriots do and wanting to have ever more.

In fact, the biggest problem with carbon-intensive behavior is not any one rich personā€™s carbon footprint. Rather itā€™s the influence ā€œaffluencersā€ exert on others. But we can turn this around. Solar panels are often clustered in neighborhoods because people also copy each otherā€™s climate-friendly behaviors.

For me, the important thing is not to hide what you are doingā€”make your sustainable behaviors visible for others to see.

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Book cover of In This Together: Connecting with Your Community to Combat the Climate Crisis

In This Together by Marianne E. Krasny,

In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"ā€”the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those closeā€¦

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