Spillover effects of pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse

Existing research has extensively explored the spillover effects of pro-environmental behavior. However, systematic research regarding the spillover effects and psychological mechanisms of pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse remains scarce. This study investigates the spillover effects of pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse on real-world pro-environmental behavior and the underlying mediating mechanisms. Additionally, it explores the intervention effect of "environmentalist" labeling. Study 1 examined the spillover effects of Metaverse pro-environmental behavior on real-world pro-environmental behavior and identified the associated mediating mechanisms. The results revealed that: (1) participants engaging in pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse exhibited stronger environmental self-identity, which subsequently promoted real-world pro-environmental behavior, thereby generating a positive spillover effect; (2) simultaneously, these participants reported lower levels of guilt, which led to a reduction in subsequent real-world pro-environmental behavior, indicating a negative spillover effect; and (3) as both positive spillover and negative spillover pathways were activated concurrently, pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse did not yield a significant total spillover effect on real-world pro-environmental behavior. Study 2 further investigated the intervention effect of "environmentalist" labeling. The results indicated that assigning the "environmentalist" label to participants performing pro-environmental behavior in the Metaverse enhanced their environmental self-identity without significantly reducing guilt. Consequently, this intervention significantly enhanced the total spillover effect. These findings suggest that spillover effects can extend from the Metaverse to the real world, with environmental self-identity and guilt mediating the positive spillover and negative spillover pathways, respectively. Furthermore, "environmentalist" labeling shifts the total spillover effect from non-significant to positive by reinforcing the positive spillover mediated by environmental self-identity and mitigating the negative spillover mediated by guilt.