WARSAW, POLAND, July 5, 2025 (studyfinds.org): A surprising new study is turning our most basic assumptions about people who choose plant-based diets upside down. It turns out that vegetarians might actually be more power-hungry, achievement-oriented, and individualistic than their meat-eating counterparts. Society typically pegs vegetarians as compassionate souls who prioritize kindness, community harmony, and caring for others. But the study of people in the U.S. and Poland, published in PLOS ONE, shows that vegetarians scored lower on values like benevolence (caring for close friends and family), security (wanting stability and safety), and conformity (following social norms) compared to meat-eaters. The differences for conformity and tradition weren’t statistically significant in the U.S. sample but were significant in Poland. Instead, U.S. vegetarians scored higher on values tied to personal power, achievement, and stimulation.

“These results suggest that following a vegetarian diet represents a manifestation of values that emphasize independence and individuality, a possibility that is somewhat at odds with how vegetarianism is often discussed,” wrote study author John Nezlek, a professor at SWPS University in Poland. Rather than being the selfless do-gooders of popular imagination, vegetarians appear to be independent thinkers who aren’t afraid to buck social trends, even if it means prioritizing personal goals over group harmony. The research examined over 3,700 adults across three separate studies, one in the United States and two in Poland. The U.S. study included 514 vegetarians and 540 non-vegetarians. The Polish studies included 636 participants (about 47% vegetarians) and 2,102 participants (3.4% vegetarians), respectively. While results were largely consistent across the three studies for most values, the researchers did find some cultural differences.

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https://studyfinds.org/vegetarians-crave-power-success-more-than-meat-eaters/

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