#ClimateChange #YouthEngagement #EcoAnxiety #AffectiveDilemmas #BritishJournalofSocialPsychology

6/6 🌐 Understanding these emotional dynamics and how they are negotiated in conversation is helpful for fostering meaningful dialogue and collective action among youth. For a deeper dive into our findings, check out the full article (or DM me for a PDF!). 💚

5/6 🌍 Cultural Contexts Matter: Our findings illustrate how socio-cultural norms influence how emotions are expressed and managed. This raises important questions about the balance between individual responsibility and the need for systemic solutions in addressing the climate crisis.

4/6 💔 Affective Dilemma 3: Responsibility for Climate Actions vs. Self-Care: Youth navigate a strong sense of obligation to act on climate change but also balance it with the importance of prioritizing self-care and positivity.

3/6 ⚖️ Affective Dilemma 2: Fear as Motivation vs. Barrier: Fear plays a dual role—while it can drive youth to take action, it can also cause withdrawal. This tension and the risk of feeling overwhelmed highlights the complexity of emotions' role in motivating climate engagement.

2/6 🔄 Affective Dilemma 1: Climate Anxiety as Voluntary vs. Involuntary: We found that youth construct climate anxiety both as a choice and an inevitable emotional reaction. They actively negotiate these feelings, viewing anxiety as a legitimate, yet manageable, response to climate change.

1/6 🎓 Reframing Climate Anxiety: Our research challenges the idea of climate anxiety as just a psychological issue. Instead, we view it as a response shaped by cultural discourses, allowing youth to engage actively with their emotions, transforming anxiety into empowerment and action.