0000000000077523
AUTHOR
Tamara M. Pfeiler
Examining the "Veggie" personality: Results from a representative German sample.
Abstract An increasing proportion of people choose to follow a vegetarian diet. To date, however, little is known about if and how individual differences in personality relate to following a vegetarian diet. In the two studies presented here, we aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of self-defined vegetarians in two waves of a German representative sample (N = 4496 and 5125, respectively), (2) analyze the effect of socio-demographic variables on dietary behavior, and (3) examine individual differences between vegetarians and meat eaters in personality traits, political attitudes, and health-related variables. In Study 1, a strict definition of vegetarians was used, while in Study 2 the defi…
Personality and attitudinal correlates of meat consumption: Results of two representative German samples
Abstract The vast amount of meat consumed in the Western world is critically discussed with regard to negative health consequences, environmental impact, and ethical concerns for animals, emphasizing the need to extend knowledge regarding the correlates of meat consumption in the general population. In the present article, we conducted two studies examining the associations between meat consumption and personality traits, political attitudes, and environmental attitudes in two large German representative samples (Ntotal = 8,879, aged 18–96 years). Cross-sectional data on frequency of meat consumption, socio-demographics, personality traits, and political and environmental attitudes were col…
The power of status: What determines one's reactions to anger in a social situation?
Abstract The present study examined how social status and gender determine anger expression and behavioral reactions toward experienced anger. In two experiments, anger was induced in a staged social interaction. Behavioral anger reactions were judged by observers. In Experiment 1 ( equal status condition ; N = 110) participants were provoked by a confederate, in Experiment 2 ( low status condition ; N = 116) participants were provoked by the experimenter. We found that participants expressed their anger to a lesser extent, were less resistant, and engaged in submissive behaviors if they had a lower status than the anger-target. As expected, gender had a moderating effect: While women's a…
Do vegetarians feel bad? Examining the association between eating vegetarian and subjective well-being in two representative samples
Abstract Research on the relationship between vegetarianism and subjective well-being (SWB) has produced inconsistent results, which may partly be due to small sample sizes and divergent operationalizations of well-being. For these reasons, the present study aimed to thoroughly examine this association in two large representative samples from Germany (Study 1: N = 12,905, including 665 vegetarians) and Australia (Study 2: N = 15,532, including 383 vegetarians) using a consensual conceptualization of SWB (composed of an affective component, i.e., positive and negative affect, and a cognitive component, i.e., life satisfaction). Results of t-tests showed that vegetarians reported slightly hig…
Monitoring a meat-free pledge with smartphones:An experimental study
Pledges are a popular strategy to encourage meat reduction, though experimental studies of their efficacy are lacking. Three-hundred and twenty-five participants from three different countries (UK, Germany, Australia) were randomly assigned to pledge 28 days meat-free or not, and their behavior was tracked via smartphones. Participants answered daily surveys regarding their eating behavior, meat cravings, and shared photos of their meals. Baseline data was collected prior to the pledge, after the 28 days, and one-month post-intervention. Participants assigned to the pledge condition ate less meat across the 28 days, compared to control participants. Meat reductions, observed at outtake, did…
The Carnism Inventory: Measuring the ideology of eating animals.
Beliefs surrounding the practice of eating animals are widely held, and have been argued to constitute an ideology named carnism (Joy, 2009). We developed and validated the novel Carnism Inventory to measure two positively related components of carnistic beliefs: carnistic defense and carnistic domination. We anticipated that carnistic defense would legitimate the practice of eating animals, while carnistic domination would support the killing of animals for their meat. The Carnism Inventory showed the hypothesized two-dimensional structure as well as good internal consistencies and stability (N = 302, Study 1). We also demonstrated the convergent and discriminant validity of the Carnism In…
Adaptive modes of rumination: the role of subjective anger.
Rumination has been demonstrated to have negative consequences on affect, behaviour, and physiological markers. Recent studies, however, suggest that distinct "modes" of anger-associated rumination may lead to several positive consequences. Previous research primarily used recall procedures of anger episodes to elicit anger. By contrast, the present study focused on the effect of subjective anger on the process of rumination and tested its effects in a "staged" social interaction where a confederate provoked participants. Subsequently, participants engaged in rumination about the anger-eliciting event either in an abstract-distanced or a concrete-immersed rumination mode. Results showed an …
Experiencing anger in a social interaction: The role of personality
Abstract Although prior research has shown a relationship between the Big Five personality factors and trait anger, evidence that links these personality traits to the experience of state anger is rare. The current study investigated the effect of the Big Five personality traits on the state anger experience after a provocation in a staged social interaction and how status differences moderate these personality effects in an academic sample. In the equal status condition (N = 131, 56% female, aged 18 to 37) participants were provoked by a confederate; in the low status condition (N = 125, 55% female, aged 18 to 51) anger was instead provoked by the experimenter. In both conditions, individu…
Personality and eating habits revisited: Associations between the big five, food choices, and Body Mass Index in a representative Australian sample
Abstract Objective Personality traits are related to health and health-related behavior such as eating habits. However, results are inconsistent regarding exactly which traits are related to eating habits. The eating habits assessed across studies are also not easily comparable, as they are based on different food items and on different computational methods. This study investigated eating habits and their relationship to both the Big Five personality traits and Body Mass Index (BMI; an objective criterion of health status) in a representative Australian sample. Method Participants were 13,892 adults from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey. An analysis of 14 food …
Examining the Veggiee Personality: Results from a Representative German Sample
An increasing proportion of people choose to follow a vegetarian diet. To date, however, little is known about if and how individual differences in personality relate to following a vegetarian diet. In the two studies presented here, we aimed to (1) estimate the prevalence of self-defined vegetarians in two waves of a German representative sample (N = 4,496 and 5,125, respectively), (2) analyze the effect of socio-demographic variables on dietary behavior, and (3) examine individual differences between vegetarians and meat eaters in personality traits, political attitudes, and health-related variables. In Study 1, a strict definition of vegetarians was used, while in Study 2 the definition …
Personality and meat consumption: The importance of differentiating between type of meat
Recent research has shown that sociodemographic factors and the Big Five personality traits are related to people's overall level of meat consumption. However, there are important differences among various types of meat (e.g., red meat, poultry, and fish) that might lead to differential patterns in how the consumption of specific types of meat is associated with personality and sociodemographic factors. To disentangle these general and specific relationships, we conducted two studies using two large-scale representative samples from different countries: Germany (N = 13,062) and Australia (N = 15,036). Mostly consistent with our expectations, personality and sociodemographic variables showed…