Graduate Exit Seminar via Zoom - Briahna Hendey
Plan to join via Zoom Briahna Hendey's graduate exit seminar on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. Briahna will present, "Balancing Diet and Wellbeing: Exploring the Relationship Between Consumer Wisdom, Meat Consumption, and Psychological Wellbeing."
Abstract:
Consumer wisdom is a novel concept that has been developed to explore whether and how ‘wisdom’ shapes consumer decisions. Wisdom is defined as acting in a way that transcends strictly personal interests and that balances personal and collective interests over the long term. This research examines how sustainable consumption, and reduced meat consumption in particular, relate to consumer wisdom. Furthermore, this study builds upon existing literature suggesting that reducing one’s meat consumption can have adverse psychological effects, whereas other types of sustainable consumption (e.g., conserving water, eating organic) might actually improve psychological wellbeing. Results show that ‘wise’ consumers, on average, consume less meat than their less ‘wise’ counterparts. However, the individuals who scored highest in consumer wisdom did not benefit psychologically from reducing their meat consumption, especially in the case of beef. In contrast, individuals who scored low in consumer wisdom did benefit psychologically from reducing their meat and beef consumption. Social norms are offered as one potential explanation, where ‘wise’ consumers are more attune and sensitive to the social and cultural costs associated with meat abstention.
Advisor: Dr. Jeremy Brooks