Emotion–Message Congruency in Sustainability Communication: The Interactive Effects of Discrete Emotions and Message Framing in Reducing Single-Use Plastic Consumption

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Global plastic waste is a critical environmental challenge, with approximately 67 million plastic bottles discarded daily. This research investigates the independent and interactive effects of discrete emotions (disgust vs. sadness) and message framing (gain vs. loss) on reducing plastic consumption, while examining the moderating role of psychological distance across three studies. Study 1 demonstrated that loss-framed messages were more effective than gain-framed or control messages in increasing intentions to avoid single-use plastics, with psychological distance exerting a conditional moderating effect. Study 2 found that sadness elicited a significantly higher willingness to donate than disgust, an effect further moderated by psychological distance. Study 3 revealed a significant two-way interaction between emotions and message framing regarding the choice of glass bottles: sadness was more effective when paired with a gain frame, whereas disgust was more effective when paired with a loss frame. Psychological distance moderated glass bottle choice only in the sadness/gain-frame condition. Overall, these findings suggest that emotion–message congruency enhances persuasion in sustainability communication, with psychological distance regulating behavioral outcomes.</p>