From Feeling to Action: Exploring Emotional Arousal and Cognitive Responses to Environmental Threat Appeals

ABSTRACT This exploratory study examines how emotional arousal, triggered by environmental threat appeals, relates to consumer attitudes toward sustainable brands and their willingness to pay (WTP). Grounded in Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), the research employs a multi‐method approach that integrates biometric data, specifically Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and Facial Expression Analysis (FEA), with traditional survey measures. The study was conducted with a sample of 38 undergraduate students (52.6% female; 47.4% male), aged between 21 and 25 years, who voluntarily participated in a laboratory experiment. While emotional arousal alone did not significantly predict attitudinal or behavioral outcomes, its effect was contingent upon individual differences. In particular, consumer conscientiousness was found to strengthen the relationship between emotional arousal and positive brand attitudes, while consumer dispositional CSR skepticism attenuated the role of emotions for WTP. These findings offer new insights into the emotion–cognition–behavior pathway in sustainable consumption and demonstrate the importance of trait‐based segmentation in sustainability marketing. By combining neurophysiological tools with established psychological theory, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how consumers process, interpret, and act upon emotionally charged environmental messaging.