Date of Award

Spring 5-14-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Department

Psychology

Language

English

First Advisor

Cheryl Carmichael

Abstract

As the climate crisis intensifies, climate change anxiety (CCA) has become increasingly common, yet it remains unclear whether discussing climate concerns with peers alleviates or amplifies distress. This study examined how climate conversations related to daily climate change anxiety, optimism, and pro-environmental behavior (PEB), as well as whether the perceived emotional tone of conversation partners shapes these associations. Using an 8-day daily diary design (N = 121), participants reported their daily climate-related emotions, engagement in private and public PEBs, and perceptions of peers’ climate anxiety and optimism following climate-related conversations. Results indicated that engaging in climate conversations was associated with higher daily climate anxiety and greater private PEB, but was not significantly associated with optimism or public PEB. Individuals’ own anxiety and optimism were both positively associated with private and public PEB, and optimism strengthened the relationship between anxiety and public behavior. Mediation analyses further showed that CCA explained the association between climate conversations and private PEB. Perceived peer emotional tone was not significantly associated with participants’ own emotions or behaviors. These findings suggest that climate conversations may increase emotional engagement, which can motivate action, particularly at the individual level.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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