A new study from the University of Warsaw in Poland found that women were more likely to agree to dates with men who eat meat. Why? They rated those men as more masculine than vegetarians. But there’s a catch: the women in the study ate meat themselves.
Figuring out what gets likes on dating apps can be tricky. The study suggests one word men might want to skip in their bios: “vegetarian.” It could turn off potential partners.
The study also found that vegetarianism didn’t help women either. Men who preferred meat viewed women who ate meat as more feminine.
What Did the Researchers Discover?
The team recruited more than 400 heterosexual participants, ages 18 to 82 — all of them ate meat. Participants imagined they were browsing a dating app and were shown one of four profiles. Women rated male profiles; men rated female profiles.
The profiles identified vegetarians for ethical reasons, vegetarians for environmental reasons, vegetarians for health reasons, and a control profile that gave no dietary information.
After viewing the profiles, participants reported their feelings about the person they saw, how willing they were to date them, and how masculine or feminine they perceived them to be.
Results showed vegetarians were seen as less attractive romantic partners, a finding picked up by the Daily Mail. Profiles that didn’t mention diet were generally viewed more positively than vegetarian profiles and seemed more suitable for relationships.
Why Is This the Case?
The study looked at how dietary differences — eating meat or not — affect romantic attraction and the desire to date people with different eating habits. The report was published in Social Psychological Bulletin.
A deeper analysis found key differences in how vegetarians were perceived. Overall, control profiles scored highest, while vegetarians who cited health reasons received the lowest ratings.
The authors suggest this may come down to a desire to date like-minded people.
The authors point out that because all participants ate meat, they may prefer partners with similar diets.
That aligns with earlier research showing vegetarians tend to pair with other vegetarians.
‘Meat-eaters may assume vegetarians have different values, while profiles that don’t mention diet may be assumed to be meat-eaters — the perceived “default,”‘ the authors wrote. They hope the findings will prompt further study into how vegetarians are perceived.
They concluded that studying the stereotype of vegetarianism and its link to masculinity could help explain why fewer men choose vegetarian diets.
