Is There a Veggie Personality?

Is there a veggie personality? Female, liberal, political
"Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are." Already 200 years ago, French writer and restaurateur Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin knew this. Supposedly. After all, the type of diet actually suggests character traits and personality?

Vegetarians and vegans have less prejudice than meat eaters. (Image: Rido / fotolia.com)

This question has recently been investigated by the scientists of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. In a two-part study, they have attempted to explore the personality traits of vegetarians and compare them with those of meat eaters.

In the first study from 2014, the definition of vegetarianism was strictly chosen, while the second part from 2015 also included people who occasionally ate meat and fish in addition to a vegetable diet. The evaluation was based on data from the long-term study Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). More than 5,000 people were interviewed about their diet and their personal preferences.

Vegetarians and vegans are, according to the study results, primarily women, younger and better educated. Those who ate predominantly vegetarian, often had a higher income than meat eaters. In addition, vegetarian and vegan-eating people should show specific personality traits. Compared to meat eaters, they are more liberal and open to new experiences, have a greater political interest and generally more confidence in their fellow human beings.

According to their own information, they should also be less conscientious, explain the psychologists in the journal "Appetite". However, the effects were very small, especially in the personality traits, the authors themselves admitted.

The study raises some questions. On the one hand, the classification in the nutritional styles is based solely on the volunteers' own statements and not on an evaluation of the dietary habits. On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that the eating habits are very individual. This makes the classification of people in different "personality drawer" just because of their diet poor sense. Heike Kreutz, bzfe