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Published on: March 31, 2023
Searching for the Goldilocks zone of climate anxiety
Alexandre Heeren1, Susan Clayton2
1Psychological Science Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; Belgian National Science Foundation (F.R.S.-FNRS), Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Climate anxiety has both positive and negative potential. It can spur action or hinder it, while taxing mental health. The key lies in balance: a Goldilocks zone wherein anxiety motivates without overwhelming. Cognitive processes, including threat and coping appraisals and future-oriented thinking, may help sustain this adaptive equilibrium.
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