page_title: Psychology of eating meat
section_title: Pro-meat attitudes
hierarchical_section_title: Psychology of eating meat / Meat paradox / Pro-meat attitudes
caption_attribution_description: English: Title Family Eating a Meal Description An Asian family, an adult male and female are seated around a table eating a meal with a young female standing in between the adults. Topics/Categories Food and Drink People -- Adult People -- Child People -- Family/Friends Type Color, Photo Source National Cancer Institute (NCI)
context_page_description: The psychology of eating meat is a complex area of study illustrating the confluence of morality, emotions, cognition, and personality characteristics. Research into the psychological and cultural factors of meat eating suggests correlations with masculinity; support for hierarchical values; and reduced openness to experience. Because meat eating is widely practiced but is sometimes associated with ambivalence, it has been used as a case study in moral psychology to illustrate theories of cognitive dissonance and moral disengagement. Research into the consumer psychology of meat is relevant both to meat industry marketing and to advocates of reduced meat consumption.
context_section_description: Ethical conflicts between enjoying meat and caring for animals may be made less problematic by holding positive attitudes towards meat. People who think of meat as safe, nutritious, and sustainable tend to experience less ambivalence about eating it. Religious belief in God-given dominion over animals can also justify eating meat.
  A series of studies published in 2015 asked meat-eating American and Australian undergraduates to "list three reasons why you think it is OK to eat meat." Over 90% of participants offered reasons which the researchers classified among the "four N's":
  Appeals to human evolution or to carnivory in nature ("natural")
  Appeals to societal or historical norms ("normal")
  Appeals to nutritive or environmental necessity ("necessary")
  Appeals to the tastiness of meat ("nice")
  The researchers found that these justifications were effective in reducing moral tension associated with the meat paradox.
caption: Affective factors, such as positive memories, influence meat consumption.
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