Research keywords: psychology, behavioral science, behavior change, decision making, interventions, behavioral spillover, sex roles, cognitive bias, social influence, group behavior, technology adoption, electric vehicles, waste management, low-carbon foods
Biography
As an environmental psychologist, my work strives to advance psychological theory while producing insights that can be applied to benefit the environment and society. Broadly, I am interested in:
(1) illuminating the psychological, social, and contextual factors that influence individual-level behavior pertaining to environmental resource consumption
(2) developing and evaluating interventions aimed at promoting sustainable behavior
(3) investigating the cognitive, emotional, and social factors that influence intervention effectiveness.
My work takes an interdisciplinary approach grounded in behavioral science with a focus on quantitative methods (e.g., experimental, survey), often involving collection of high-resolution consumption (e.g., smart electric meter) and other consumer data. Key areas of interest include how individuals use energy in households, the adoption and use of energy efficient technologies (e.g., electric cars), and behavioral spillover across the food-energy-water nexus. My work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, World Wildlife Fund, and US Army Research Office. I hold a B.S. in Psychology / Ecology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master’s in Psychology, graduate certificate in Sustainable Cities, and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Southern California. For information on current projects in my lab, click here.
Selected Publications
(*graduate student, **post-doc mentored)
*Dillman-Hasso, N., & Sintov, N.D. (2025). Can we achieve equity in residential solar adoption? Public perceptions of rooftop and community solar in the United States. Energy Research and Social Science, 122: 104022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104022
**Hurst, K.F., Sintov, N. D., *Hobbs, L., & Donnelly, G. E. (2025). Self-silencing predicts behavioral conformity in sustainability contexts. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 102: 102555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102555
Sas-Wright, T.I., Fried, H.S., Sintov, N.D., & Clark, J.D. (2025). Occupant response to ventilation curtailment during simulated demand management events in a controlled environment. Building and Environment, 270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.112542
**Herziger, A., Carrel, A., & Sintov, N.D. (2025). When Does Symbolism Matter Most? The Dynamic Relationship between Electric Vehicle Symbolic Value and Adoption Intent in two United States cities. Energy Research and Social Science, 119: 103818.
Donnelly, G.E., *Mertens, S. N., & Sintov, N.D. (2024). Increasing recycling with charitable incentives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 99: 102444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102444
**Hurst, K., Sintov, N.D., & Donnelly, G. (2023). Increasing sustainable behavior through conversation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 86: 101948. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101948
**Herziger, A., & Sintov, N.D. (2023). Give it a try! Electric vehicle test drives influence symbolism perceptions and adoption intent. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 85: 101907. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101907
Sintov, N.D., & **Hurst, K.F. (2022). Experimental support for a trust heuristic. Journal of Risk Research. DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2022.2091002
**White, L.V., Carrel, A., Shi, W., & Sintov, N.D. (2022). Why are charging stations associated with electric vehicle adoption? Untangling effects in three United States metropolitan areas. Energy Research and Social Science, 89: 102663. DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2022.102663
**Hurst, K., & Sintov, N.D. (2022). Guilt consistently motivates pro-environmental outcomes while pride depends on context. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 80: 101776.
*Adams, I., **Hurst, K.F., & Sintov, N.D. (2020). Experienced guilt, but not pride, mediates the effect of feedback on pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 71: 101476. doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101476
**White, L.V., & Sintov, N.D. (2020). Health and financial impacts of demand-side response measures differ across sociodemographic groups. Nature Energy, 5: 50-60. doi:10.1038/s41560-019-0507-y
Sintov, N. D., **White, L.V., & *Walpole, H. (2019). Thermostat Wars? The roles of gender and thermal comfort negotiations in household energy use behavior. PLOS ONE, 4(11): e0224198. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224198
Sintov, N.D., *Geislar, S., & *White, L.V. (2019). The role of cognitive accessibility in pro-environmental behavioral spillover: Results from a community field experiment of household food waste management. Environment and Behavior, 51, 50-80. doi:10.1177/0013916517735638
*White, L.V., & Sintov, N. D. (2018). Inaccurate consumer perceptions of monetary savings in a demand-side response programme predict programme acceptance. Nature Energy, 3: 1101–1108. doi: 10.1038/s41560-018-0285-y
*White, L.,V.& Sintov, N. (2017). You are what you drive: Environmentalist and social innovator symbolism drive electric vehicle adoption intentions. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 99, 94 113. doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2017.03.008
Sintov, N.D. & Schultz, P.W. (2015). Unlocking the potential of smart grid technologies with behavioral science. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00410
