Vegan adults would be more open-minded and pleasant.
- In the study, vegetarians or vegans were more open-minded and agreeable compared to omnivorous adults.
- This indicates that they are more curious, creative and want to try new experiences.
- No links were observed between other personality traits, such as neuroticism and extroversion, and food choices.
In Western countries, more and more people are turning to vegetarian and vegan diets. Several studies have focused on the factors that motivate adults to adopt them, due to their potential to have a positive impact on sustainability, animal rights, zoonotic risk reduction and public health.
“There have been a number of papers recently on the link between personality and these diets, but this literature had not been summarized. Personality is particularly interesting because it has implications for a wide range of attitudes, of beliefs and behaviors, and thus can help organize the broader literature on the psychological predictors of vegetarian and vegan diets”, declared, to PsyPostChristopher J. Hopwood, professor of psychology at the University of Zurich (Switzerland).
A link between personality traits and food choices?
In a new study, the researcher and his team decided to analyze existing results on personality differences (openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, extroversion) between vegetarians and omnivores as well as between vegetarian and vegan adults. To do this, they reviewed 15 cohorts involving 69,576 people from several countries.
According to scientists, openness reflected curiosity, creativity and a willingness to accept new experiences. Extraversion concerned sociability, assertiveness, and preference for social interaction. Agreeableness encompassed kindness, cooperation, and empathy. Neuroticism is linked to emotional stability, anxiety, and susceptibility to negative emotions.
Openness and agreeableness, the “predictive traits of vegetarian and vegan diets”
According to the results, published in the journal Appetite, vegetarian or vegan participants were more open and pleasant compared to omnivorous volunteers. Among vegetarians and vegans, the only significant difference in personality traits was related to open-mindedness, with vegans scoring higher than vegetarians.
The authors did not find consistent associations between other personality traits, such as neuroticism and extroversion, and food choices, suggesting that openness and agreeableness were the main ones. “Important predictive traits of vegetarian and vegan diets.”
