Psychology
The study of human thought, behavior and emotion, combining social science and biology. Psychologists use research methods, statistics and theory to explore how people act, often focusing on mental health, development and social interaction.
What would you do?
- Survey patients or conduct interviews to measure behavior
- Analyze data with statistics to find patterns
- Test hypotheses with controlled real-world studies
- Develop interventions for learning, mental health and more
- Publish findings or apply them to real-world problems
To fight climate change, psychologists…
Encourage sustainable behavior
- Study consumer decision making
- Survey groups on their views about sustainability
- Test which climate messages motivate people
- Promote social norms that support sustainable choices
Support climate-affected communities
- Provide therapy and care after wildfires, floods and other disasters
- Help communities build resilience for future disasters
- Train local leaders to support vulnerable communities
Improve policy impact
- Advise advocacy groups on climate policy messaging
- Study why people resist behavior change or climate policies
- Assess the psychological effects of climate policies
Support mental health
- Counsel people with climate anxiety
- Create community programs for people stressed by climate disasters
- Teach coping strategies that reduce helplessness
Relationship to climate change
Psychology is key to helping society make sustainable decisions and supporting people with climate anxiety.
Use psychology for these Project Drawdown solutions:
- Abandoned Farmland
- Advanced Biofuels
- Agrivoltaics
- Agroforestry
- Alternative Refrigerants
- Annual Cropping
- Appliance & Equipment Efficiency
- Aviation Efficiency
- Bio Blocks
- More solutions →
Get started
A great fit if you enjoy communicating, problem solving, understanding emotions and helping others directly.
Recommended classes
High school: English, Biology (H), AP Biology, Chemistry (H), AP Chemistry, Geometry (H), Precalc/Trigonometry (H), AP Calculus, AP Statistics, Human Development, AP Seminar, AP Research
Project ideas
- Survey your community on recycling or energy habits and analyze what predicts behavior
- Create an online resource for people with climate anxiety
- Interview people who lived through climate disasters about coping strategies
- Organize a community action project and measure changes in participants’ stress
- Raise awareness of psychological barriers to taking action
- Visualize data on climate beliefs and anxiety
More resources
- Psychologists (BLS)
- Here’s how to turn climate change anxiety into action
- Helping youth move from climate anxiety to climate action
- Minnesota Teens Are Fighting Climate Anxiety With Shovels
Written by Aiden Miao, Palo Alto High School (2027)
