Meat a paradox for carnivores, study finds
28th Nov 2011
Danny Rose all articles by this author
Medical Observer
WHEN it comes to eating meat, Australian research suggests the food is made more palatable by putting the animal’s mind out of your mind.
Researchers at the University of Queensland’s School of Psychology have examined the mental processes they say allow people to overcome the “meat paradox”.
"Meat is central to most people's diets and a focus of culinary enjoyment, yet most people also like animals and are disturbed by harm done to them, therefore creating a 'meat paradox',” Dr Brock Bastian (PhD) said.
“People's concern for animal welfare conflicts with their culinary behaviour.
“Our studies show that this motivates people to deny minds to animals.”
The researchers found when people were reminded of the harm caused by meat-eating, they viewed food-related animals as possessing fewer mental capacities compared to when they were not reminded.
Denial of mind to a food-related animal was especially evident when people expected to eat meat in the near future.
It was also a driver for people referring to animal meat by different names – such as “pork or beef without thinking about pigs or cows” for example.
This mental disconnect also has ramifications for the oversight of the meat industry, Dr Bastian said.
“People rarely enjoy thinking about where meat comes from, the processes it goes through to get to their tables, or the living qualities of the animals from which it is extracted," he said in a statement.
"Denying minds to animals reduces concern for their welfare, justifying the harm caused to them in the process of meat production.
"In short, our work highlights the fact that although most people do not mind eating meat, they do not like thinking of animals they eat as having possessed minds.”
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 2011, in press
