Why Do People Litter? by Dr Jack Lewis
Some people litter with wild abandon, others wouldn’t dream of it. But what fuels anti-social behaviour? And can neuroscience encourage pro-social behaviour?
Sort Your Brain Out
Some people litter with wild abandon, others wouldn’t dream of it. But what fuels anti-social behaviour? And can neuroscience encourage pro-social behaviour?
What do green spaces (parks, fields, commons etc.) do to the human brain? Why do people drop litter? How does visible evidence of anti-social behaviour affect the way other people behave? How would people behave if those responsible for keeping one of London’s finest Royal Parks clean were to down tools for an entire weekend?
All of these questions were asked of Dr Jack by The One Show reporter Justin Rowlatt in Hyde Park where the Keep Britain Tidy campaign ran an interesting experiment over the weekend to see how people would react if the rubbish they dropped was left to accumulate. This brainpost details some of the background to Dr Jack’s comments on tonight’s show (BBC1, 7pm).