Vegetarians are more power-hungry than meat eaters, research suggests
Vegetarians are more likely to seek power and prize achievements over their meat -eating counterparts, new research has suggested.
A study which assessed the values of more than 3,500 adults in Poland and the United States found that the 800 participants who were vegetarian were most likely to align themselves with values that improved their social status.
Those included higher levels of personal ambition and a keener appetite for 'novelty and challenge in life'.
Meanwhile, meat-eaters were found to align themselves closer to values of tradition, such as respecting established norms, and conformity, meaning a desire not to upset others and to comply with socially accepted conventions.
They also placed more emphasis on benevolence, such as kindness towards friends and family, and security.
Professor John Nezlek of SWPS University in Warsaw, who led the research, told The Times said: 'There's this long association between meat and masculinity. It's far more common for women to adopt vegetarianism than men, and there are three main reasons that people become vegetarians: health, the environment and animal welfare ethics.
'When you pile all of that together, you might start to think that vegetarians would be more benevolent, a little less assertive, generally more 'huggy' people — but I found the complete opposite.'
Participants in both Poland and the US were handed brief sketches of fictional individuals accompanied by descriptions, such as: 'Being very successful is important to him. He likes to impress other people.'
They were then asked to rank how much they related to the character from a scale of one to six.
The report found that those who follow a vegetarian diet were likely to be independent thinkers who are not afraid to 'march to the beat of a different drum', given that they are a minority in many countries.
'In the face of such beliefs and in the face of the experiences of rejection and criticism that may accompany the expression of such beliefs vegetarians need to be committed and hold their beliefs strongly,' the report found.
It concluded: 'The present results suggest that although vegetarians may be more sensitive to the pain and suffering of animals and may be more aware of threats to the environment than non-vegetarians, this sensitivity and awareness do not reflect the basic human value of benevolence.
'Moreover, the present results suggest that vegetarians hold values consistent with being members of a social minority who are willing to stand by their principles. Although the present studies leave important questions unanswered, they suggests a path forward.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
New ultrasound forecast to cut Addenbrooke's treatment times
NHS patents will be the first in Europe outside a trial setting to have access to a liver cancer treatment described as "cutting-edge and non-invasive".Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge will start using a histotopsy system, an ultrasound treatment that can be delivered in a single short session. It could potentially take no longer than 30 minutes with limited or no pain and a quick Sinker, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), said the technology could make a "huge difference" and reduce cancer treatment times. The Edison Histotripsy System, made by US-based HistoSonics, is expected to be fully installed at CUH later this year. It will initially be used to treat patients with primary and secondary liver tumours, and research is exploring its potential on treating other hard-to-reach Sinker said: "Histotripsy is an exciting new technology that will make a huge difference to patients. "By offering this non-invasive, more targeted treatment, we can care for more people as outpatients and free up time for surgeons to treat more complex cases. "The faster recovery times mean patients will be able to return to their normal lives more quickly, which will also reduce pressure on hospital beds, helping us ensure that patients are able to receive the right treatment at the right time." The incisionless surgery uses pulsed sound waves to create "bubble clouds" from gases present in the targeted form and collapse in microseconds, creating mechanical forces able to destroys tumours without surgery, scalpels or has been procured following a donation to the University of Cambridge from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, a supporter of cancer research at the Deborah Prentice, vice-chancellor of the university, said: "Through his longstanding support of cancer research at Cambridge, Sir Ka-shing Li continues to make a significant impact on outcomes for cancer patients. "Cutting-edge technology such as this histotripsy machine allows Cambridge to remain at the forefront of understanding and treating cancer, a position we aim to strengthen further with Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital."Previously, 23 patients from Europe were recruited in a histotripsy clinical trial. More than 1,500 patients worldwide have received the treatment, mainly in the United States. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Long-term sickness has made economy 10pc smaller
The long-term sickness crisis means Britain's economy is 10 per cent smaller than it otherwise would be, according to a report produced for the NHS. Tackling ill-health, increasing employment rates and preventing premature deaths by making better use of innovation in the health service would give Britain a £246 billion boost – equivalent to around a 10th of GDP – according to research by Frontier Economics, a consultancy firm. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, hailed the 'landmark study' as evidence of what the NHS could achieve 'if we harness the massive potential at our fingertips'. It comes as Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, is set to gamble on the NHS to boost growth in this week's spending review, with a £30 billion funding uplift at the expense of other public services. This equates to an around £17 billion real-terms increase over the next three years and comes after a £22 billion rise was announced in October, with Sir Keir Starmer having pinned the success of his premiership on eliminating the 7.42 million NHS backlog. The new research found the 'size of the prize' for getting the 4.2 million unemployed people with long-term sickness back into work would increase GDP by £125 billion alone. It further found that reducing the number of sick days employees take, in particular those on long-term sick leave from work, would provide an extra £45 billion. It said that 'reducing long-term absences by 20 per cent would be worth nearly £10 billion', for example. The remainder of the economic benefits came through delaying the 132,000 early deaths that occur to working-age people each year because of preventable diseases such as heart attacks, increasing the hours of people who work part-time because of a 'work-limiting health condition', and reducing the 'in-work productivity' lost to sickness. It means the 'total productivity impact of reducing ill-health on the UK economy is up to £246 billion', which equates to '9.62 per cent of GDP', the researchers said. The study, commissioned by the Health Innovation Network, which includes NHS and health industry leaders, said there were four major causes of sickness impacting the health service and driving worklessness. These were mental health, which alone accounts for almost £50 billion in lost productivity, musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis and back pain, heart disease and lung-related conditions. Simple measures to identify and treat high cholesterol and high blood pressure, for example, could add more than £2 billion to the economy, it said, which could include treating more people with cheap statins sooner. It also found potential productivity gains increased to £278 billion if the UK could reduce sickness and absence among the NHS workforce and increase the amount of foreign investment. It said the UK was lagging behind France and Germany when it comes to research and clinical trials, as well as the number of skilled workers and pharmaceutical employees. Mr Streeting said: 'We often talk about the challenges associated with health care in this country, but this report shows there are lots of opportunities too if we harness the massive potential at our fingertips. 'The NHS is uniquely placed to take advantage of innovation, and this landmark study reveals the prize on offer – potential benefits worth £246 billion annually and the ability to free up 233 million hours for our NHS workforce, proving that health innovation isn't just good for patients, it's vital for our economy and the taxpayer. 'By focusing on key conditions like mental health and cardiovascular disease, and embracing AI, telemedicine and genomic research, we can improve patient outcomes while creating high-skilled jobs and attracting global investment.' He said the findings of the research would 'help inform our mission to build a health service that delivers for patients and contributes to a stronger economy'. One of the key health issues driving increases in heart disease, cancer and joint and bone conditions is obesity. A new trial revealed by The Telegraph last year is examining whether weight-loss jab Mounjaro can reduce unemployment and workplace absence levels in Greater Manchester. That study, led by Health Innovation Manchester and pharmaceutical firm Lilly, is part of plans to explore how to reduce the £3.2 billion impact of obesity on Manchester's economy. Professor Ben Bridgewater, chief executive of Health Innovation Manchester, said: 'There is so much potential for health innovation to make lives better for people, save the NHS money and increase the country's workforce productivity. 'We know that the massive impact innovation in obesity can make for the people and economy of Greater Manchester. We are excited about this new report that quantifies just how large an opportunity exists nationally from innovation in health care.' The new research paper, called Defining the Size of the Health Innovation Prize, also said that as ill-health is predicted to increase with time, the potential productivity gains from preventing it and keeping people in work increases too. The researchers estimate by 2035 the GDP lost to ill-health - as things stand - will be between £283 billion and £332 billion. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said the report showed what could be achieved, but that 'more needs to be done to fully realise the potential of innovation' and that NHS leaders had told them 'a lack of time, funding that supports long-term implementation and scaling along with inadequate infrastructure is limiting their ability to seek new ideas and embed at scale those already in the system'. He said innovation 'needs be managed in a way that works for those working across the NHS' and would 'require a skilled digital and innovation team and a wider workforce to support adoption' and appropriate infrastructure.
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Odds of ‘city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 striking Moon increase
A 'city killer' asteroid once thought to be on a potential collision course with the Earth has now been found to have a higher chance of striking the Moon. The building-sized space rock, designated 2024 YR4, sparked global concern when it was discovered late last year as initial projections suggested it had a 3 per cent chance of hitting the Earth on 22 December 2032. Subsequent observations reduced the threat of Earth impact to virtually zero but revealed that the rock had a small chance of crashing onto the Moon. After analysing additional data from Nasa 's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have refined their predictions of the asteroid's orbit. The new data has improved our understanding of where the asteroid will be on 22 December 2032 'by nearly 20 per cent', Nasa said in a statement. Researchers said the 200ft asteroid's latest probability of impacting the Moon had increased to 4.3 per cent from the previous estimate of about 3.8 per cent. There is still an over 95 per cent chance it will miss the Moon, according to the recent estimates. Nasa has concluded that the object poses no significant impact risk to Earth in 2032 and beyond. In the event the space rock strikes the Moon, it would be one of the largest asteroids in recent history to hit the lunar surface. Researchers hope it may provide crucial data to prepare for future planetary defence operations. 'The possibility of getting a chance for an observation of a sizable Moon impact is indeed an interesting scenario from a scientific point of view," said Richard Moissl, head of the European Space Agency 's planetary defence office. Scientists hope tracking and understanding the asteroid could offer further insights into similar space rocks that might pose a threat to the Earth. A recent analysis of the asteroid suggests it may once have been a boulder that sat on the surface of a larger rubble-pile asteroid. Looking at how the rock absorbed sunlight and emitted heat, astronomers found that it was rich in silicates. This indicated it likely originated in the solar system's main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and was pushed into its current near-Earth orbit by gravitational interactions with Jupiter. Currently, the asteroid has passed too far away in its orbit to be observed with either space or ground-based telescopes. Nasa hopes to make further observations when the asteroid's orbit around the Sun brings it back into the vicinity of the Earth. 'After 2025 May, 2024 YR4 will next enter JWST observing window in the first part of 2026 as a challenging target, which may be worth pursuing to determine whether a lunar impact will occur,' researchers said in a recent study, published in the journal RNAAS.
