Meat-eaters who abstain to take part in Veganuary are more likely to think that meat is disgusting after giving it up for the month, researchers have found...
Veganuary began in 2014… following the success of Movember ( an annual event involving growing moustaches in November to raise awareness of Men's Health issues
A study in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition tracked 40 participants to measure meat disgust before and after they took part in the abstinence month, finding that although most participants lapsed back into eating meat, those who reduced their meat consumption the most were more likely to have greater disgust for meat afterwards...
The likely psychological mechanism is that people are unconsciously trying to resolve a cognitive dissonance between a behaviour – taking part in Veganuary – and a belief – that they enjoy eating meat...
A vegan ‘Teriyaki Chick’n’ burger and chips. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesSimilar effects may change people’s attitudes to alcohol and socialising during dry January. Negative attitudes towards alcohol-free drinks, or beliefs that social occasions require people to drink alcohol, may be undermined by a temporary change in behaviour.
