Being Mindfully Green: The Effects of Consumer Mindfulness on Green Product Choices

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2021 in the subject Psychology - Work, Business, Organisation, grade: 1,0, Maastricht University, language: English, abstract: Research indicates that mindfulness is a consumer characteristic that influences the choice between green and non-green products. Therefore, this research proposal examines the effects of consumer mindfulness on green product choices and the moderating role of cognitive load in this relationship. The study predicts that consumer mindfulness leads to the choice of greener products and that this effect is attenuated by cognitive load. A between-subject experimental study will be conducted with a sample of 128 students from Maastricht University. The research hypotheses will be tested using a binary logistic regression. I propose that mindfulness significantly predicts green product choices, suggesting that mindful consumers are more likely to choose green products than non-mindful consumers. Furthermore, cognitive load will moderate the effects of mindfulness on green product choices. When cognitive load is high, consumers are less likely to purchase green products when they are mindful than when cognitive load is low. From the research results, it can be inferred that encouraging consumers to be mindful is beneficial in promoting the purchase of sustainable products when cognitive load is kept low. In addition, the study identifies limitations and gives recommendations for future research.