The state of mind of vegetarians: Psychological well-being or distress?

Two studies examined psychological well-being and world assumptions among vegetarian, semivegetarian, and omnivorous women. In Study 1,308 women completed the scales for depression, self-esteem, weight satisfaction, appearance satisfaction, and symptoms of eating disorders. In Study 2,226 women completed the World Assumption Scale. The results showed that vegetarian and semivegetarian women had a lower self-esteem and more symptoms of depression and eating disorders than omnivorous women. In addition, vegetarian women had a more negative view of the world than semivegetarian or omnivorous women did. The results suggest that although vegetarians may be healthier, they may be less happy than other individuals.

Keywords:

• Vegetarianism
• Depression
• Self-esteem
• Assumptive Worlds