Elizabeth Dunn
Social psychologist and happiness researcher at the University of British Columbia, co-author of Leave the Lights On
Elizabeth Dunn (Social psychologist and happiness researcher at the University of British Columbia, co-author of Leave the Lights On) has appeared as a guest on 1 episode in TMT. Topics they speak about most include Climate change, Clean energy, Air travel emissions.
In their words
Positions and remarks grouped by topic, each with the exact quote and where it was said.
Climate change
Dunn says the researcher behind the study used to argue against having children never intended that message, and per-child emissions have since declined.
“since that original research was published, the emissions associated with each one of us has actually declined”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 49:56
Dunn cites the IPCC as saying individual behavior change can reduce global emissions by 40 to 70 percent.
“the International Panel on Climate Change says individual behavior change can reduce global emissions by 40 to 70 percent”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 9:29
Clean energy
Dunn says running an air conditioner for a week emits about eight pounds of carbon in Vermont versus a thousand pounds in Wyoming.
“You're going to emit a thousand pounds of carbon. So the weight of a full grown horse, right?”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 43:31
Dunn says that, per Zhao's calculation, leaving the lights on in her clean-energy condo for life would equal the emissions of 13 hamburgers.
“I could leave the lights on in my two-bedroom condo for the rest of my life. And the carbon emissions cost would be equivalent to eating 13 hamburgers”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 2:09
Air travel emissions
Dunn recommends nonstop flights because takeoff burns a lot of fuel, giving them a lower carbon cost than one-stop itineraries.
“nonstop flights are going to come with a much lower carbon price tag than even a one-stop”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 29:13
Dunn says a vegan who flies New York to Thailand for the holidays ends up with the same emissions as a meat eater who stays home.
“Somebody who eats vegan all year long but then flies from New York to Thailand for the holidays will end up with the same carbon emissions”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 28:16
Climate change communication
Dunn reports that in a global mega study the doom message was widely shared but undermined willingness to take more effortful action.
“this doom and gloom message actually undermined people's willingness to take a more effortful form of action”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 5:32
Dunn argues that doom-and-gloom climate messaging captured attention but did not motivate action.
“But the problem is doom and gloom messaging doesn't necessarily motivate action. Negative emotions get exhausting over time”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 6:04
Social tipping points
Dunn cites research that when about 25% of people change behavior, rapid social change can follow, without a majority being needed.
“There's recent research showing that when just 25% of us change our behavior... Rapid social change can occur just more quickly than any of us would have imagined”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 51:27
Online shopping environmental impact
Dunn argues that online shopping is not inherently bad and can halve emissions compared with driving to stores, provided returns are minimized.
“online shopping can actually cut emissions in half compared to driving around to all the stores that you need to go to”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 23:50
Social contagion
Dunn reports a UBC study finding that cafeteria customers ordered the same dish as the stranger ahead of them 72% of the time.
“72% of the time people ordered the exact same dish as the random stranger standing in front of them”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 22:22
Plant-based diet
Dunn says Beyond Meat burgers are not especially low-carbon and that a BLT would produce fewer emissions.
“you would be better off eating a BLT than a Beyond Meat Burger in terms of carbon emissions”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 20:32
Happiness
Dunn argues that eating high-carbon foods less often enhances people's ability to savor them, based on her chocolate experiment.
“Having these high-carbon foods we enjoy a little less often can actually enhance our capacity to savor them”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 16:49
Carbon footprint
Dunn acknowledges that BP originated the carbon footprint idea as a deliberate attempt to shift blame onto individuals.
“BP, the oil and gas company, was behind the original carbon footprint notion. And it was a calculated attempt to shift the blame”
TED Radio Hour: Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate action (Sep 4, 2026) · Listen from 11:39
Appearances
Less guilt, more joy: A new chapter for climate actionTED Radio Hour · Sep 4, 2026 · 50 min
Manoush Zomorodi talks with social psychologist Elizabeth Dunn about climate actions that also increase happiness, featuring co-author Jiaying Zhao's TED Talk.
Often appears with
- Manoush Zomorodi · 1 shared episode
- Jiaying Zhao · 1 shared episode