Moral Overtones of Food: Judgments of Others Based on What they Eat

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Abstract
Previous research found that meal size can affect judgments of eaters' attractiveness and femininity. The present study investigates whether eating specific types of foods-namely, healthy, nonfattening foods versus unhealthy, fattening ones-gives rise to moral judgments about the eaters. Subjects were presented with one of four bogus profiles of a person, which differed only in gender and foods consumed. Subjects rated the target on morality; potential mechanisms of effects were also explored. Results confirmed the hypothesis that moral judgments of others differ depending on the foods they eat. This result was not simply due to a halo effect but was explained by two mediational mechanisms: the Puritan ethic and the "you are what you eat" principle. However, the effect did not show predicted moderation by subject or target gender or restrained-eating status. Foods also seemed to influence subjects' perceptions of fitness and weight information about the target. Moral Aspects of Diet