Introduction
We’ve all seen it – melting glaciers, endangered animals, polluted oceans. Images that flood our screens every day. Our first reaction? Sadness, maybe even shock for a few seconds. And then… we just scroll on. The constant barrage of negative news can lead us to a psychological state called learned helplessness, where we feel powerless and stop believing that we can make a difference. The result is apathy and inaction.
What is learned helplessness?
Learned helplessness is a psychological phenomenon in which repeated exposure to negative events beyond our control leads to the belief that our actions will not change anything. This concept was first described by psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven Maier in experiments with dogs (Maier & Seligman, 1976). It was later applied to human behavior, particularly in areas such as education, mental health, and social change.
In the area of sustainability, constant emphasis on ecological disasters can cause feelings of despair and apathy-people feel that all is lost and give up.
Optimism as medicine
The opposite of helplessness is learned optimism-the ability to consciously reevaluate negative thoughts and develop a more positive view of the world. This concept also comes from Seligman (1990). Instead of saying, „I failed because I’m not good enough,“ a person can learn to think, „It was a difficult situation, but I learned something from it and next time I’ll do better.“
This change in thinking promotes resilience and motivation. From a sustainability perspective, it can lead us to take action instead of giving up-because we believe that our efforts are meaningful.
Learned Hope: The Power of Experience
Learned hopefulness expands on this approach. Instead of merely changing one’s mindset, it focuses on the experiential aspect-that is, creating real opportunities for people to experience that they can overcome obstacles. When we have the opportunity to truly accomplish something, we gain a sense of control and belief in our own abilities (Tomasulo, 2020).
In marketing, this means not only highlighting problems, but also real successes, progress, solutions, and results-because that is what gives people hope that it is worth trying.
Finding balance: Not too black, not too pink
It is important to talk about problems, but overly negative campaigns can have the opposite effect-people will tune out because they no longer want to hear anything. Research from the Harvard Kennedy School has shown that negative framing of public health issues increases anxiety but does not reduce risky behavior (Harvard Kennedy School, 2022).
On the contrary, overly positive messages can lead to a false sense of security. People will say to themselves, „Everything is under control, so why should I bother trying?“ As in life, balance is key here too.
Case study: IKEA and the circular economy
One positive example is IKEA’s Our Circular Agenda campaign. The company has set itself the goal of becoming a fully circular business by 2030-that is, designing products so that they can be reused, repaired, or recycled (IKEA, n.d.).
This campaign combines practicality with hope. It doesn’t just say „we’re in crisis“ – it says „here’s a concrete solution for how we can improve things together.“ And that’s the power of positive marketing.
Conclusion: Let’s change the narrative
If we want to motivate society to behave sustainably, we need to change the way we talk about climate and nature. Too much negative news paralyzes us. Too much optimism lulls us into complacency.
But when we focus on balanced messaging-which shows both the problems and the solutions—we can help people move from helplessness to action. Because when we believe change is possible, we are much more likely to actually make it happen.
Barbora Cizkovska 
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