Communicating meat-free principles without coming across as the veg*n judge: Is demonstrating self-compassion the antidote? [Author Accepted Manuscript]

People who eat meat (called omnivores) often assume that others who avoid meat for moral reasons, such as protecting animals or the environment, are judging them as bad people. This feeling of being judged can make omnivores defensive, and sometimes even push them further away from considering a plant-based diet. In this research, we looked at whether morally-motivated vegetarians and vegans (we use the term ‘veg*ns’ to include both) can reduce this sense of judgment by showing self-compassion toward their past meat-eating self. Specifically, we tested whether a self-compassionate narrative—where a veg*n reflects kindly on their own past meat-eating—helps morally-motivated veg*ns come across as less judgmental of omnivores. While this approach did help veg*ns seem less harsh toward their former selves, it did not stop omnivores from feeling judged by them. This suggests that the feeling of being judged may be more driven by omnivores’ own interpretation of the moral choice to stop eating meat than by how morally-motivated veg*ns actually talk about it.

Abstract: Individuals who choose a meat-free diet (i.e., veg*ns) based on moral principles, such as animal- or environmental welfare, are often spontaneously perceived by omnivores as morally judgmental toward those who continue to eat meat. Such anticipated judgment triggers defensive responses toward veg*ns. This defensiveness is problematic for the broader diffusion of meat-free principles: it undermines omnivores' ability to listen and feel inspired by a veg*n's message and can discourage veg*ns in further voicing their moral convictions. We explored a communication strategy that may aid veg*ns to communicate their meat-free principles without risking coming across as judgmental and thus triggering defensiveness. Specifically, we tested whether veg*ns could suppress perceptions of being judgmental toward others by demonstrating self-compassion toward their own past meat-eating self. Across two experimental studies, we show that, by demonstrating self-compassion, morally-motivated veg*ns can convince omnivores that they do not judge their past meat-eating selves. However, despite conveying self-compassion, omnivores still perceived those veg*ns as being judgmental toward omnivores. These findings suggest that perceptions of judgment may stem less from veg*ns’ actual choice of words, but rather from omnivores’ own projected interpretations—namely, the expectation that veg*ns will view them as morally inferior based on their dietary choices.