Abstract
In mankind's evolutionary past, those who consumed meat were strong and powerful and thus man saw meat as indicative of social status. This symbolic connection between meat and status persists today. Thus, based upon psychological theories of compensation, individuals low on subjective socioeconomic status (SES) should have a greater preference for meat, as meat may be substitutable for the status that they lack. Three experiments tested this premise. Participants who felt low on subjective SES preferred meat-based foods compared to participants who felt high on it (Experiment 1). The effect is driven by a desire for status (Experiments 2–3) and not by felt hunger or power (Experiments 1–2) and not generalizable to plant foods (Experiment 3). The results suggest a symbolic link between meat and status, which has intriguingly not yet been empirically shown, and we also demonstrate a consequence of the link for food preference. The results may be of use for doctors who advise eating less meat to improve physical health and for environmental advocates who argue that meat consumption exacerbates global warming. We will also discuss the contributions of and further avenues based on our work.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 257-266 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Appetite |
| Volume | 132 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2019 |
Keywords
- Food preference
- Health
- Meat
- Public policy
- Subjective socioeconomic status
- Sustainability
Cite this
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Jerkies, tacos, and burgers : subjective socioeconomic status and meat preference. / Chan, Eugene Y.; Zlatevska, Natalina.
In: Appetite, Vol. 132, 01.2019, p. 257-266.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Jerkies, tacos, and burgers
T2 - subjective socioeconomic status and meat preference
AU - Chan, Eugene Y.
AU - Zlatevska, Natalina
PY - 2019/1
Y1 - 2019/1
N2 - In mankind's evolutionary past, those who consumed meat were strong and powerful and thus man saw meat as indicative of social status. This symbolic connection between meat and status persists today. Thus, based upon psychological theories of compensation, individuals low on subjective socioeconomic status (SES) should have a greater preference for meat, as meat may be substitutable for the status that they lack. Three experiments tested this premise. Participants who felt low on subjective SES preferred meat-based foods compared to participants who felt high on it (Experiment 1). The effect is driven by a desire for status (Experiments 2–3) and not by felt hunger or power (Experiments 1–2) and not generalizable to plant foods (Experiment 3). The results suggest a symbolic link between meat and status, which has intriguingly not yet been empirically shown, and we also demonstrate a consequence of the link for food preference. The results may be of use for doctors who advise eating less meat to improve physical health and for environmental advocates who argue that meat consumption exacerbates global warming. We will also discuss the contributions of and further avenues based on our work.
AB - In mankind's evolutionary past, those who consumed meat were strong and powerful and thus man saw meat as indicative of social status. This symbolic connection between meat and status persists today. Thus, based upon psychological theories of compensation, individuals low on subjective socioeconomic status (SES) should have a greater preference for meat, as meat may be substitutable for the status that they lack. Three experiments tested this premise. Participants who felt low on subjective SES preferred meat-based foods compared to participants who felt high on it (Experiment 1). The effect is driven by a desire for status (Experiments 2–3) and not by felt hunger or power (Experiments 1–2) and not generalizable to plant foods (Experiment 3). The results suggest a symbolic link between meat and status, which has intriguingly not yet been empirically shown, and we also demonstrate a consequence of the link for food preference. The results may be of use for doctors who advise eating less meat to improve physical health and for environmental advocates who argue that meat consumption exacerbates global warming. We will also discuss the contributions of and further avenues based on our work.
KW - Food preference
KW - Health
KW - Meat
KW - Public policy
KW - Subjective socioeconomic status
KW - Sustainability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85054136264&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.appet.2018.08.027
DO - 10.1016/j.appet.2018.08.027
M3 - Article
VL - 132
SP - 257
EP - 266
JO - Appetite
JF - Appetite
SN - 0195-6663
ER -