The 4 Ns often used to justify eating meat

From cognitive dissonance to common inherited beliefs, there are many ways to look at why people continue to eat meat and other animal products now that we don’t need to.

Psychologists have identified 4 Ns that refer to common justifications for eating animals: the belief that it is “necessary“, “natural”, “normal” and “nice“.

Understanding the kinds of barriers presented by these beliefs can help us to improve our activism, address the roots of behaviour, and empower people to change.

So what are the 4 Ns?

What does the research say?

  • Between 83% and 91% of people use at least one of the 4 Ns to justify eating meat.
  • Those who believe most strongly in these concepts tend to:
    • Worry less about animal suffering.
    • See animals as objects, not as living beings who want to live, have families and emotions.
    • Feel less guilt when eating animal products.
    • Be least willing or likely to change their eating habits.
  • Researchers believe that the 4 Ns help to calm the uneasy feeling associated with making food choices that may not align with our core values.

These justifications are linked to two ideas: we are looking for reasons that confirm what we already believe (confirmation bias) and we want to avoid the conflicted feeling that can arise between what we believe and what we do (cognitive dissonance).

For example: “I like animals, but I eat animals.” Or “I am a good person, but killing animals to eat them is not a good thing to do.”

How true are these beliefs?

If we already eat vegan or are reflecting on this issue and trying to live more compassionately, we can challenge each of these ideas:

Is eating meat natural?

Animal products today are not “natural”: they are packed with hormones and antibiotics, animals are crammed into inhumane and unsanitary conditions and killed at a fraction of their natural lifespan. Eating animal products is no more natural than eating a diet based on vegetables, fruit, legumes, and grains.

Is it necessary to eat meat?

All the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals our bodies need can be obtained from vegan sources. We can get everything we need to thrive on a 100% plant-based diet.

Are animal products ‘nice’?

Many of us used to enjoy the taste of non-vegan food, until we discovered that a plant-based diet can be just as tasty, varied, and enjoyable. This, together with the environmental destruction, negative impacts on people and our collective health, and the animal suffering caused by the animal industries, make a vegan lifestyle much more ‘nice’ and enjoyable.

What about normal?

What is considered normal is culturally defined and changes over time. Many things that were once normal are things that we now recognise as wrong, problematic, or deeply harmful. The fact that something is common does not make it right. More and more people are choosing not to eat animals, for ethical, environmental, and health reasons.

How can we talk about this constructively?

We know that it is not always easy to discuss these issues. When confronted with the way that animals live in factory farms or with the other harmful effects of eating animals, people may shut down or feel resistance to change.

It’s a perfectly human reaction: we don’t want to feel like we’re doing something wrong.

Therefore, one way we like to approach this is to showcase the positives of a plant-based diet.

What if we create our own definition of the 4 Ns?

The 4 Ns of a 100% plant-based diet

Although veganism is about more than what we eat, we can start by showing that a diet without animal products can be:

Natural

  • All animals feel love and pain, and it’s natural to want to give animals the respect they deserve.
  • Whole, plant foods are one of the most natural ways to nourish ourselves.
  • Our body is designed to digest the complex fibre and carbohydrates we find in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains.

Normal

  • Many traditional cultures have lived on almost 100% vegetable diets.
  • More and more people are choosing vegan all over the world, and we believe that it is the new normal!

Necessary

  • To avoid the suffering and exploitation of innocent living beings.
  • To care for the planet: animal farming is decimating the rainforest, polluting our water sources, and generating dangerous greenhouse gases.
  • To protect our health: eating a 100% plant-based diet reduces the risk of many diseases, from heart disease and diabetes, to certain cancers.

Nutritional, nice, and delicious

  • A well-planned plant-based diet is nutritionally complete and healthy.
  • The flavours we enjoy most do not come from animals, but from the spices, herbs and techniques we use to prepare our food. And when we use umami-rich flavours like tomato, mushroom, soy sauce, etc. in our vegan meals, they can be even more satisfying.
  • Vegan cuisine has so many delicious options. Sign up for our free vegan challenge to get endless inspiration and find out for yourself!

Are you already vegan? Volunteer with Challenge 22 to help other people on their vegan journey!

Interested in discovering a vegan diet? Join the free vegan challenge! You’re not alone: you’ll get support, delicious recipes, inspiration and a community that’s behind you every step of the way!

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