Does That Mean Vegans Are Conscientious?
Conscientiousness leads to healthy behaviors
According to this study, people who are conscientious exercise a lot and exhibit healthier behaviors than those who do not plan. This study took place at the University of Oregon. Rita M. Ludwig and colleagues found this by analyzing the gym attendance of 282 participants over a 20-week period. The researchers tracked the number of times the participants went to the campus gym after enrolling at the start of the 2018 winter semester. They also collected data on gym attendance back in the 2017 fall semester. The participants completed written descriptions of their exercise plans and completed measures about grit and self-control. Participants who rated themselves high on conscientiousness went to the gym more often during both semesters. I wonder if high conscientiousness is also related to following a healthy vegan diet.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is one of the traits of the Big Five Personality Test. Individuals who scored high on the trait are dependable, orderly, and make short-term sacrifices to achieve long-term goals. They are also cautious, diligent, efficient, and deliberate. Individuals who scored less on Conscientiousness are impulsive, spontaneous, easygoing, and flexible. Conscientiousness has long been tied to being health-conscious. This study seems to be on point about the connection between conscientiousness and going to the gym consistently. As someone who is an endurance runner, I would have a training schedule where I have days that I run on, days that I do cross-training by swimming laps, and rest days. Based on my behaviors, I could be a conscientious person.
So Vegans Are Conscientious
Vegans seem conscientious because following a vegan diet takes a lot of discipline. Self-discipline is one of the traits of the Conscientiousness trait. A vegan diet is a carefully planned diet. You must make sure to get enough nutrients on a vegan diet and to take a B12 supplement. It takes a lot of discipline to adhere to planned meals and a lot of planning to go to restaurants that could have vegan options. Using a food diary to track calories and nutrients would require a diligent, organized, and methodical attitude. Those traits define individuals high on Conscientiousness. It could be safe to say vegans are high on Conscientiousness. As a vegan and an endurance athlete, I could be high on Conscientiousness.