The study, published in Appetite, had 252 participants who rejected meat, and 57 omnivores who ate meat.
The participants were shown images of 11 different substances, including meat, commonly disliked vegetables, and then asked how eating each of the foods would make them feel.
The questions were linked to either disgust or distaste. This allowed researchers to make a distinction between what people felt when they rejected certain foods.
Meat-eating participants were also shown images of things everyone considers disgusting to eat: human flesh, dog meat and faeces.
Researchers found that people consistently rejected vegetables they did not like based on distaste, rejected meat, and disgust elicitors in a similar disgust pattern.
The study suggests that those who reject the idea of eating meat likely have deeper psychological and evolutionary mechanisms, possibly linked to avoiding pathogens.
The study also found that the most disliked vegetables, like Brussels sprouts, are typically rejected due to distaste, which is an aversion based on taste or texture.
“This is the most robust evidence to date that we reject meat and vegetables that we find repellent based on different underlying processes,” Professor Natalia Lawrence of the University of Exeter wrote.
“Obviously, finding meat disgusting can help people avoid eating it, which has health and environmental benefits.
“Other research we’ve conducted suggests that these feelings of disgust may develop when people deliberately reduce or avoid eating meat, such as during Veganuary.”
