Psychology says vegetarians and vegans tend to display these 8 distinct traits

I've been vegetarian (and then vegan) for almost a decade now, and I still cringe remembering how I used to roll my eyes at plant-based people. Back when I was dating someone vegan, I'd order extra bacon on my burger just to be obnoxious. Then somewhere between watching Dominion at 2 AM and realizing my cholesterol at 28 shouldn't rival my dad's at 60, everything shifted.

What nobody tells you about going vegan is how it changes more than your grocery list. Psychological research confirms what I've noticed in myself and every plant-based person I've met since: certain personality traits keep showing up. These patterns reveal something fascinating about how our food choices reflect—and maybe even shape—our broader approach to living.

1. They score higher on openness to experience

Before going vegan, I thought I was adventurous because I tried sushi once. Now I'm fermenting cashews in my kitchen and foraging for mushrooms in city parks. This isn't just my personal evolution into Peak Portland Stereotype—studies confirm that vegetarians and vegans score significantly higher on openness to experience.

This trait goes beyond trying jackfruit tacos. It's a fundamental willingness to question defaults, whether that's the standard American diet or the standard American anything. We're the people who actually read ingredient lists, research supply chains, and yes, probably have too many tabs open about B12 supplementation. The same curiosity that made us question "why do we eat cows but not dogs?" makes us question everything else too.

2. They're more likely to think systematically

At vegan potlucks, someone always connects their hummus to geopolitics. It sounds pretentious until you realize they're right—chickpea farming does relate to water rights, which connects to climate change, which circles back to why we're all here eating cashew cheese.

This systematic thinking isn't performative intellectualism. Once you start seeing food as part of interconnected systems, you can't unsee it. Every meal becomes a web of environmental, ethical, and economic considerations. Sometimes I miss the blissful ignorance of just eating without thinking. Then I remember that ignorance is exactly what I'm trying to leave behind.

3. They have higher empathy scores (but it's complicated)

Yes, research shows vegans typically score higher on empathy measures. But here's what the studies don't capture: this heightened sensitivity can feel like an emotional tax on existing in the world.

I cry at documentaries now—not just the factory farming ones, but anything showing suffering I previously filtered out. This expanded empathy is beautiful and exhausting. You start noticing the tired eyes of every delivery driver, the stress in shelter dogs, the weight of systemic problems you can't fix with dietary choices. Some days, caring this much feels like a superpower. Other days, it feels like wearing everyone else's pain as a weighted blanket.

4. They lean toward idealism over pragmatism

I've eaten plain rice at restaurants that put butter in everything rather than compromise my values. This idealistic streak that drives dietary choices bleeds into everything else.

Most vegans I know chose careers that align with their values over their bank accounts. We're overrepresented in nonprofits, education, and creative fields—not because we're bad at math, but because we can't compartmentalize our ethics from 9 to 5. This idealism is admirable until you're forty minutes deep in Whole Foods comparing which almond milk has the most sustainable packaging. Sometimes pragmatism would be easier, but apparently that's not how we're wired.

5. They show lower conformity to social norms

Going vegan means constantly being "that person"—at restaurants, family gatherings, office parties. It takes genuine comfort with nonconformity to maintain this choice when society makes it inconvenient at every turn.

Once you've broken the social contract around food, questioning other conventions feels natural. Why do we work five days to rest two? Why is marriage the default relationship structure? Why do we mow lawns instead of growing food? This independence is liberating, but it can be isolating when you're explaining for the hundredth time why you brought your own butter to brunch.

6. They're prone to moral self-monitoring

My browser history is 30% recipes and 70% investigating whether random products contain animal ingredients. Did you know some orange juices use fish oil for omega-3s? Or that your wine might be filtered with egg whites? This constant moral evaluation becomes second nature.

It's not about perfection or superiority—it's about alignment. But when every purchase requires ethical calculations, decision fatigue hits hard. Sometimes I just want to buy shampoo without checking if it contains keratin or was tested on rabbits. The mental load of conscious consumption is real, even when it matters to you.

7. They value authenticity over social harmony

When someone asks why I'm vegan, I tell them honestly, even knowing it might make things awkward. This commitment to authentic self-expression means accepting social friction as the price of living your values.

The same impulse that makes me refuse to pretend bacon smells good anymore makes me refuse to pretend in other areas. I'll speak up about workplace issues, challenge family dynamics, and end relationships that require hiding parts of myself. Authenticity over harmony isn't always comfortable, but once you start living this way, code-switching feels like betrayal.

8. They exhibit future-oriented thinking

Vegans are playing the long game. We're considering climate change in 2050, our health at seventy, and the world we're leaving behind. Research confirms that environmental concern is a major driver of plant-based diets, with studies showing vegan diets have 75% less environmental impact than meat-heavy ones. This future-oriented mindset shapes decisions far beyond diet.

I started composting in a studio apartment, learned to grow food on a balcony, and max out my retirement contributions despite being in a creative field. My non-vegan friends call this anxiety or overthinking. Maybe they're right. But in an era of quarterly earnings and news cycles, someone needs to think beyond next Tuesday.

Final thoughts

These traits aren't destiny—I know conformist vegans and empathetic omnivores. But the patterns are real enough to reveal something important about how choices shape us, or maybe how our personalities shape our choices. Going vegan didn't fundamentally change who I am; it amplified traits that were always there, waiting for permission to fully express themselves.

What fascinates me most is how these traits are both blessing and burden. The empathy that connects us to suffering can become overwhelming. The systematic thinking that reveals hidden connections can turn grocery shopping into an existential crisis. The idealism that drives positive change can become rigidity.

Maybe that's the real insight: vegans aren't a different species, just people whose personality cocktail led them to make one particularly visible choice about how to live. The rest of the world might share many of these traits but express them through different channels—career choices, relationships, or which causes they support.

We're all trying to align our actions with our values. Some of us just happen to do it in a way that makes ordering pizza surprisingly complicated.