REALITY ‘BITES’: Why vegans make others so angry, according to science
An online experiment was conducted with participants (N=3600) from four European countries who were asked to judge imaginary shoppers based on their grocery lists. The only variable? Meat. Some shopping lists leaned into steaks and sausages, others were fully plant-based vegan, and a third category sat somewhere in between. The results reveal a conflicting picture of those shoppers who are believed to favor plant-based shopping. On the one hand, these shoppers are seen by carnivores as conscientious people who adhere to high moral standards and worthy of admiration. On the other, they elicited fear, contempt, anger, aggression, who should be excluded from social circles altogether.
ASHLEY FIKE: Forget bacon. What really gets people heated is the quiet, smug glow of someone eating vegetables on purpose… A new research study published in the Food Quality and Preference journal suggests it’s not the lifestyle itself, but how it makes others feel about their own choices… Scientists say that for many carnivores, seeing someone happily munch on a meat-free meal brings up a cocktail of envy, insecurity, and quiet rage…
An online experiment was conducted with participants (N = 3600) from four European countries to evaluate fictitious consumers using three shopping lists that include meat products and their alternatives in varying combinations. The results reveal a conflicting picture of those who are believed to favor meat alternatives. They are seen as environmentally friendly, health-conscious people who adhere to high moral standards, and are worthy of admiration. But on the contrary, they also elicit fear, contempt, and anger in observers, who as a result socially exclude and even show aggression toward them…
According to lead author Roosa-Maaria Malila, these qualities triggered feelings of “fear, envy, contempt, and anger” in meat-preferring participants. In some cases, respondents said they wanted to exclude vegetarians from social circles altogether…
The study authors say these reactions reflect a broader cultural anxiety: most people know they should be eating less meat… So instead of swapping the burger for a beetroot patty, many people lash out at those who already have. “In our research, we found that people even wanted to act aggressively towards vegetarians”, Malila said in a press release. SOURCE…
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