Engaging feelings instead of statistics in the battle against consuming animal products
New research from the PsyLab at the Catholic University of Milan suggests that emotional and moral appeals may be more effective than facts alone in encouraging a shift towards a plant-based diet.
The study, published under Creative Commons by 360info, investigates indirect pathways to behavior change in dietary habits. It offers insights into the psychological barriers to dietary change, particularly the role of meat hedonism.
The research found that among participants who believe moderately to strongly in human supremacy, the moral disgust message decreased moral disengagement and increased the likelihood of choosing plant-based options. On the other hand, the physical disgust message reduced participants' enjoyment of meat eating, leading to a higher likelihood of choosing plant-based foods.
Emotional and moral appeals tend to be more effective because they engage empathy, identity, and positive emotional states, which are powerful motivators for dietary change. In contrast, presenting only facts can sometimes trigger denial, minimization, or cognitive biases that reduce receptivity.
For example, emotional framing, such as eliciting empathy through cute animal imagery or positive portrayals, lowers resistance to plant-based messages. Research shows that people in good moods are more likely to choose and continue plant-based diets compared to those in negative emotional states, suggesting emotional well-being supports diet shifts.
Moral appeals linked to self-identity and community belonging can support the maintenance of a plant-based lifestyle but sometimes also increase stress if neuroticism is involved. However, the social and identity aspects of moral appeals make them potent motivators when framed constructively.
Facts and nutritional information alone can be less persuasive due to cognitive biases and entrenched beliefs. Consumers are often anchored on their initial beliefs, so loss-framed messaging about biodiversity or missing nutrients may help but usually in combination with incentives and defaults.
Restrictive wellness trends appeal psychologically because they offer control, community, and simple narratives embedded in ritual and identity, which are emotional and social incentives rather than fact-based reasoning alone. Whimsical design and "soft power" emotional branding can mask difficult ethical truths about meat consumption, making plant-based options more appealing and reducing resistance more successfully than straightforward factual appeals.
The study tested three types of messages: one evoking physical disgust, another emphasizing moral disgust, and a neutral message. The findings support a shift in behavioural science and public health communication that recognizes the importance of emotions, values, and social norms.
The study also challenges the notion that appeals that focus solely on health or climate impact may be enough to overcome the emotional satisfaction that many consumers derive from eating meat. Challenging moral distance through targeted messaging may be more effective for those who strongly believe in human superiority.
Patrizia Catellani, a professor of Social Psychology at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Milan, and director of the Psychology, Law and Policy Lab (PsyLab), led the study. The study highlights the significance of addressing both the pleasure and justifications for consuming animal products.
In summary, integrating emotional and moral narratives with factual information creates more compelling and lasting motivation for people to adopt plant-based diets than facts alone. Emotional engagement helps overcome psychological barriers and leverages social identity, while facts provide important support when carefully framed and combined with motivational cues.
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