What do crispy bacon, a juicy beef steak, human flesh and faeces have in common? They're all foods that trigger a powerful emotional reaction in people - disgust. And according to new research, for vegetarians, meat sits in the same psychological category as some of the most revolting substances imaginable.
Authors
- Elisa Becker
Postdoctoral Researcher, Behaviour Change Interventions, University of Oxford
- Natalia Lawrence
Associate Professor in Translational Medicine, University of Exeter
In our recent study , we explored how vegetarians and omnivores respond emotionally to different types of food. We asked vegetarians to look at images of commonly eaten meats - roast chicken, beef steak and bacon - alongside a selection of unpopular vegetables like raw onions, aubergine, olives and brussels sprouts.
For omnivores, we swapped out the familiar meats for extreme examples: meat made from human or dog flesh - and faeces.
Participants answered a series of questions about how they would feel eating each food, focusing especially on foods they said they'd refuse. We gathered 896 such "food rejections" from more than 300 people in the UK, and from these, we could dig into the psychology behind why people reject certain foods.
Here's what we found.
Offending vegetables were usually rejected due to distaste - a reaction based on sensory experience: taste, smell, or texture. This was true for both vegetarians and omnivores. Whether it's the bitterness of brussels sprouts or the sponginess of raw aubergine, the dislike came down to flavour or texture.
Meat, however, was a different story. For vegetarians, it wasn't the flavour of meat that made it unappealing, but the very idea of it. Their responses were driven by disgust - a reaction not to how something tastes, but to what it is.
Those who rejected meat felt discomfort at the idea of meat being inside their body, or of it touching other food. That kind of deep, intuitive rejection mirrors how omnivores in our study reacted to images of human flesh, dog meat, or faeces - things we avoid not because of how they taste, but because of what they represent.
To feel this distinction yourself, try this mental exercise. Imagine your favourite soup. Now, picture a tiny amount of a vegetable you dislike - let's say beetroot - blended into it. You can't see it, taste it, or smell it. Would you still eat the soup?
If yes, you're experiencing distaste to the beetroot. Distaste only kicks in when your senses are affronted. No taste, no problem.
Now try the same scenario, but instead of beetroot, imagine the soup contains a minuscule amount of dog meat. Still invisible, undetectable - but you know it's there. Would you eat it?
Most people in western countries wouldn't - not because of the flavour, but because of an almost primal aversion. That's disgust.
This distinction has been known in psychology for decades. Earlier studies showed that animal products like blood, bush meat and faeces are usually rejected because they evoke disgust, while plant-based foods are disliked due to distaste. But until now, it wasn't clear just how closely vegetarians' aversion to everyday meat mirrors reactions to the most revolting substances imaginable. This excludes reasoned, non-emotional choices like avoiding meat for environmental reasons or peanuts due to allergy.
Distaste and disgust evolved to protect us from different threats. Plants often defend themselves with bitter or sour toxins, prompting a distaste response that's shared across many species . The threat in meat comes from pathogens and parasites that can't usually be detected by taste, so distaste is useless here. Disgust gives us way to respond to the idea of contamination, one that makes us recoil not just from the food itself, but from anything it touches.
Disgust toward meat is more common than you might think. Around 74% of vegetarians and even 15% of flexitarians report robust levels of disgust when it comes to meat. And many omnivores experience it too - especially when confronted with unfamiliar meats . Think of the famous "Bushtucker Trials" on the reality show I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here. Few of us could stomach insects, animal brains, or offal - even if told they're safe and nutritious.
This emotional reaction isn't just a quirk. It may help us reduce meat consumption overall. Recent research shows that during challenges like Veganuary, when people go a month without meat, they often become more disgusted by meat afterward . This makes it easier to keep reducing their intake.
That could have benefits not only for personal health and animal welfare, but also for the environment , as livestock farming is a major contributor to climate change.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
