Abstract
When we engage in pro-environmental behaviors that align with our personal values, we can experience positive feelings, known as warm glow. Theories suggest a potential positive feedback loop such that people who anticipate feeling more warm glow are more likely to act pro-environmentally, and acting in line with their personal values may in turn elicit warm glow, thereby encouraging further pro-environmental behavior. There is considerable empirical work from psychology, marketing and economics investigating these relationships, but to date this work has not been systematically synthesized. A test of the strength and robustness of the theorized links is needed to answer the question of whether warm glow is in fact consistently related to pro-environmental behavior. We report a scoping review and meta-analysis probing the robustness of the associations between warm glow and pro-environmental intentions and behaviors. Following the PRISMA guidance, we identified 94 papers with 251 effects based on 58,313 participants. A pre-registered three-level random-effects meta-analytic model was used to estimate overall effects and to examine moderation by behavioral domain and measurement approach. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the findings. Results indicate robust medium-to-large associations between both anticipated and experienced warm glow and pro-environmental intentions and behaviors (rs: .43 – .53). Substantial heterogeneity persisted after accounting for moderators, suggesting meaningful variation in effect sizes across studies. Overall, these findings provide strong evidence of a clear link between warm glow and pro-environmental intentions and behaviors. Future research using experimental and longitudinal designs will help clarify causal pathways in the positive feedback loop.