How our minds trick us into thinking we are being greener than we really are

Preston (UK), Sep 10 (The Conversation) oure in the supermarket. Imported beef mince, shrink-wrapped vegetables and cleaning spray are already in your basket. Then you toss in some organic apples and feel a flicker of moral relief. Surely that small green gesture lightens the load? Not quite. Objectively, every extra product increases your carbon footprint. But psychology research reveals a curious illusion: when we add eco-friendly items, we often judge our shopping basket as having less impact on our carbon footprint than before. This mental glitch is called the negative footprint illusion, and it matters for how we shop, how