Communicating meat-free principles without coming across as the veg*n judge: Is demonstrating self-compassion the antidote? [Author Accepted Manuscript]

Individuals who choose a meat-free diet (i.e., veg*ns) based on moral principles, such as animal- or environmental welfare, are often spontaneously perceived by omnivores as morally judgmental toward those who continue to eat meat. Such anticipated judgment triggers defensive responses toward veg*ns. This defensiveness is problematic for the broader diffusion of meat-free principles: it undermines omnivores' ability to listen and feel inspired by a veg*n's message and can discourage veg*ns in further voicing their moral convictions. We explored a communication strategy that may aid veg*ns to communicate their meat-free principles without risking coming across as judgmental and thus triggering defensiveness. Specifically, we tested whether veg*ns could suppress perceptions of being judgmental toward others by demonstrating self-compassion toward their own past meat-eating self. Across two experimental studies, we show that, by demonstrating self-compassion, morally-motivated veg*ns can convince omnivores that they do not judge their past meat-eating selves. However, despite conveying self-compassion, omnivores still perceived those veg*ns as being judgmental toward omnivores. These findings suggest that perceptions of judgment may stem less from veg*ns’ actual choice of words, but rather from omnivores’ own projected interpretations—namely, the expectation that veg*ns will view them as morally inferior based on their dietary choices.