Do you think all kinds of animals have personalities of their own? Generally, in stories, carnivorous animals are often written as aggressive and bad guys, whereas herbivorous animals are known as quiet and shy. If such a perspective is accurate, does it apply to humans, too? The number of people who follow a vegetarian diet appears to be increasing. If the popularity of vegetarians rises on a global level, how does it affect the social world? This article shows that human personalities could be different between vegetarians and non-vegetarians (omnivores), and people’s behavior in social situations may be affected by their food choices.
What effect do eating habits have on personality?
Vegetarians might have different perspectives from non-vegetarians and also not get caught up in old ways of thinking. Generally speaking, vegetarianism is a minority of social behavior. Following the plant-based diet refers to being patient because they have fewer choices than omnivores when eating at restaurants, cooking, and grocery shopping. Nevertheless, in the study of Holler et al., omnivores are less open to new experiences and variety-seeking. Omnivorism is linked to a high tendency toward prestige and social power over people and resources, whereas vegetarianism is linked to greater openness and empathy (Holler et al., 2021). Vegetarians are more likely to be higher in hedonism, universalism, stimulation, and personal independence. Especially, the last three values lead to a stronger ecological theory connected to a humanistic perspective which vegetarians often care about.
Behavioral Differences
Vegetarianism can be a social identity, not just a diet. Sometimes, people refer to themselves as vegetarians in their social media bio. Vegetarians who do not eat animal products are commonly known for their restrictive diet, and those people are often motivated to follow their diet. The study of Nezlek and Forestell indicates that vegetarians are pro-social and prone to have more liberal political views. Notwithstanding, they do not seem to be as emotionally stable as omnivores, which may be due to their status as a social minority. It could be said that vegetarians might wish to spread their diet in order to have other people follow it. Likewise, to other social identities, being a vegetarian has ramifications for their values, faith, and behaviors. Therefore, all of these that vegetarians hold influence their actions and their well-being (Nezlek and Forestell, 2020).
Are Vegans Better Than Vegetarians?
When comparing the diets, there is another restrictive diet. Vegans refrain from consuming or using all animal products, even those worn or used on skin; their diet is the most strict. It seems to be more stressful to live as a vegan because vegetarians are about just eating habits, whereas vegans are about all the things they involve with. However, vegan neuroticism is just slightly higher in vegans, but openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness do not differ from vegetarians (Müssig, Pfeiler and Egloff, 2022).
Conclusion
The merit of a more vegetarian population at the global level could be attributed to not just environment but also to leading to a new way of thinking and a pro-social society. Vegetarians feel isolated from the community since they consider themselves a social minority, although the values for following the diet that vegetarians hold give an impact on their social behavior and well-being. Vegetarian diets have both positive and negative effects on personality; however, the choice of food seems to influence people’s minds.
Reference list
Holler, S., Cramer, H., Liebscher, D., Jeitler, M., Schumann, D., Murthy, V., Michalsen, A. and Kessler, C.S., 2021. Differences Between Omnivores and Vegetarians in Personality Profiles, Values, and Empathy: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, [e-journal] 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.579700
Müssig, M., Pfeiler, T.M. and Egloff, B. (2022). Minor and inconsistent differences in Big Five personality traits between vegetarians and vegans. PLOS ONE, [e-journal] 17(6), p.e0268896. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268896
Nezlek, J.B. and Forestell, C.A. (2020). Vegetarianism as a social identity. Current Opinion in Food Science, [e-journal] 33, pp.45–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2019.12.005
