Dual emotional mechanisms in green persuasion: neural and behavioral evidence from tourism contexts
Abstract
This study investigates how negative environmental imagery shapes tourists’ responses to subsequent green initiative messages within a stage-based emotional processing framework. Study 1 uses electroencephalography to show that exposure to environmental degradation imagery heightens early-stage affective arousal and attentional engagement during subsequent message processing. Study 2 demonstrates that negative-to-positive message sequencing induces contrast-based shifts in emotional valence, enhancing pro-environmental behavioral intention. The findings indicate that sustainability communication functions as a sequential emotional process, in which early neural arousal facilitates message processing, while valence-based evaluative contrast governs intention formation, offering a refined account of green persuasion.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Environmental Education and Sustainability
Climate Change Communication and Perception
Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 502–521
- Publication date
- 4 May 2026
- Language
- EN