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University of Toronto researchers find that green consumers may be less trustworthy

As reported by the New York Times, Toronto researchers are behind a new study that finds a correlation between 'green' consumerism products and selfish behaviour. The University of Toronto research suggests that people who purchase green products sometimes use their ethical shopping habits to justify transgressions such stealing and cheating in other aspects of their lives.

"The Guardian newspaper picked this up recently, and it also makes an appearance in the most recent issue of Conservation magazine: people who buy green products may be, on the whole, more likely to steal and cheat when given the chance."

"This claim comes by way of two researchers at the University of Toronto, who were probing a more widely known psychological phenomenon in which people who pat themselves on the back for a good deed often feel entitled to a bit of selfishness later on."

"Green products do not necessarily make for better people," the Toronto researchers told The Guardian. They also said that while much time and treasure has been spent trying to identify green consumers, relatively little research has gone into "how green consumption fits into people's global sense of responsibility and morality."

read full story here
original source the New York Times
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