Counterproductive norms can be addressed via informational interventions: The case of 'wishcycling' [Author Accepted Manuscript]

Social norms are integral to human prosociality but can also lead to ineffective or even counterproductive “prosocial” behaviors. We provide an ex- ample of one such counterproductive norm and demonstrate how simple in- formational interventions can improve behavior. Study 1 shows that among those who recycle, people with stronger prosocial concerns about sustainability are actually worse recyclers-they err on the side of recycling when in doubt. Such ‘wishcycling’ leads to contamination of the recycling stream, increasing the cost of recycling, sometimes to the point that entire batches of recyclables are sent to landfill. Unlike traditional public goods problems, this dilemma results from lack of information rather than lack of prosocial motivation. Study 2 therefore introduces a simple informational intervention designed to address this counterproductive behavior. Relative to the placebo and control, our intervention significantly reduces wishcycling. Our findings highlight the importance of unambiguous instructions on behaving prosocially for effectively promoting public goods.