But new research by Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong at the University of Toronto levels an even graver charge: that virtuous shopping can actually lead to

But new research by Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong at the University of Toronto levels an even graver charge: that virtuous shopping can actually lead to immoral behavior. In their study (described in a paper now in press at Psychological Science), subjects who made simulated eco-friendly purchases ended up less likely to exhibit altruism in a laboratory game and more likely to cheat and steal. The conclusion the story draws from the study is really more of a correlation than a causation. It's just as possible that the people who buy virtuously are the type of people who cheat and are stingy rather than buying virtuously causing the "evil" behaviour. The linked study actually doesn't seem to imply causation so Slate is obviously spicing up the story a little.