Normative social influence
Current research
### Current research

In more current research, Schultz (1999\) found that households that received more normative messages describing the frequency and amount of weekly recycling began to have a direct impact on both the households' frequency and amount of their curbside recycling. The sudden change was due to the fact that "the other neighbors'" recycling habits had a direct normative effect on the household to change their recycling behaviors. Similar results were apparent in another study in which researchers were able to increase household energy conservation through the use of normative messages.Nolan, J., Schultz, P., Cialdini, R., Goldstein, N., \& Griskevicius, V. (2008\). Normative social influence is underdetected. *Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin*, 34(7\), 913\-923\. Participants in this conservation study did not believe that such normative messages could influence their behavior; they attributed their conservation efforts to environmental concerns or social responsibility needs. Thus, normative social influence can be a very powerful, yet unconscious, motivator of behavior.


Can researchers increase household energy conservation through normative messages?