Research in Environmental Psychology has shown a positive association between Pro-Environmental Behaviors (PEBs) and distinct facets of Eudaimonic well-being, particularly Closeness to others. The personality trait of Conscientiousness is also positively linked to PEB, with more conscientious individuals engaging more in these behaviors. However, most studies have focused on stable, interindividual differences, leaving the effect of momentary, intraindividual changes in PEB on Closeness unclear and lacking causal evidence.
We adopted a causal approach to examine whether positive fluctuations in PEB lead to positive changes in daily Closeness. Specifically, we implemented the Within-Person Encouragement Design, using instrumental variable estimation to assess whether manipulating daily PEB through micro-randomized encouragements would result in higher-than-usual levels of Closeness. Additionally, we explored how Conscientiousness moderates the effect of the encouragements on PEB.
We assessed 63 Italian young adults (Mean Age = 25.4; Women = 68%) over 21 days, during which participants received 11 randomized encouragements to engage in more PEBs than usual.
Results showed a significant positive effect of the encouragement on PEB (β = 0.092, 95% CI: [.033, .142]), and importantly a significant positive effect of PEB on Closeness (β = 0.305, 95% CI: [.103, .449]). Additionally, encouragements were more effective for individuals with lower Conscientiousness (β = .163, 95% CI: [.063, .263])) compared to those with higher levels (β = .003, 95% CI: [-.093, .094])).
These findings shed light on the causal relationship between PEBs and well-being in everyday life, also offering valuable insights for promoting daily PEBs, particularly among younger generations.