image credit | Tommaso Curre

Season 4, Episode 11: On Legacy with Stylianos Syropoulos

Thomas and Panu Pihkala welcomed Stylianos Syropoulos, director of the Intergenerational Decisions and Effective Action (IDEA) Lab at Arizona State University to discuss his research on how people approach their legacy in relation to their environmental values. Stylianos explained that thinking about one’s legacy is an ancient and cross-cultural concern. Legacy can be understood in various ways like the biological legacy of having children and grandchildren, the material legacy of the world we leave behind, and values-related legacy of preserving what we care for. All of these are affected – and often threatened – by the events of climate change. Join us for a fascinating conversation, with take-aways that might help you be your own version of “future ancestor.”

Links: 

• Stylianos Syropoulos

• Research examples: 

• Stylianos Syropoulos et al. 2024 Intergenerational concern relates to constructive coping and emotional reactions to climate change via increased legacy concerns and environmental cognitive alternatives

• Andrea Mah, Stylianos Syropoulos & Ezra Markowitz (2024). Caring about one's legacy relates to constructive coping with climate change (pdf version)

• Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology (Division 34 of the American Psychological Association)

• Earlier CCH Podcast episodes touching on legacy and having children:

  • Season 1, Episode 8: Climate Change, Children and a Better World with Guest Dr. Jade Sasser

  • Season 1, Episode 9: Finding Meaning in “Generation Dread” with Guest Britt Wray