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[Mark Travers Ph.D.+]

Mark Travers Ph.D.

Social Instincts

Diet

3 Psychological Barriers That Make It Hard to Go Vegan

Committing to veganism is nowhere near as easy as it looks. Here's why.

Posted May 3, 2024 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

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THE BASICS

• What are healthy approaches to dieting?
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Key points

• It can be difficult for vegetarians and prospective vegans to go completely vegan.
• Lack of knowledge can be a major barrier to making the transition to veganism.
• Other contributing factors include ingrained dietary habits and fear of losing out on pleasure.

[Spencer Davis / Unsplash+]

Spencer Davis / Unsplash

A 2024study published in Frontiers in Psychology examined the reasons why vegetarians and prospective vegans?who attempt to avoid meat for the same reasons vegans do?do not go completely vegan. Researchers found three primary mental blocks that keep them from this dietary transition.

Here are three psychological reasons why people avoid veganism, according to the study.

1. The Knowledge Gap of Dietary Consequences

Researchers found that there is a significant knowledge gap between vegans and non-vegans which leads to different mental perceptions of the impact of their diet on their health and animal and environmental welfare, including knowledge aboutnutrition, one’s ecological footprint, climate change, and the present condition of the animal industry.

“Vegetarians valuate the animal industry significantly less negatively than vegans and prospective vegans. Moreover, vegetarians generally possess less correct information about the animal industry?as, for example, indicated by the fact that a third of the vegetarians were not aware that their diet