Food & Feelings: The Mental Split Between Omnivores and Vegetarians

Dr. Rahul Gupta[1] (Assistant Professor, Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Management and Research, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, Affiliated to Bharati Vidyapeeth deemed to be university ),

E: rahul.gupta@bharatividyapeeth.edu, rahulgupta.bvimr@gmail.com

Abstract

In contemporary psychological discourse, the factors influencing individual dietary choices have extended far beyond nutrition, intersecting deeply with personality structures, ethical frameworks, and cognitive processing styles. This comprehensive paper explores the psychological divide between utilitarian/pragmatic thinking and empathetic/idealistic thinking as mirrored by meat-eating and ethical vegetarian populations. By evaluating the variances in empathy metrics, socio-cognitive hierarchies, and neural responses to suffering, this study presents a structured overview of how everyday consumption patterns correlate with deep-seated worldviews. The findings suggest that ethical vegetarians display heightened activation in neurological empathy centers, while omnivorous dietary choices frequently align with pragmatic, competitive, and resource-driven systemic viewpoints.

Keywords: Mindset Dichotomy, Utilitarianism, Empathy, Social Dominance Orientation, Egalitarianism.