Not so Nice to "Meat" You

Meat may be one of the most popular foods—especially here in Chile during the month of September; human beings have been eating it since the homo habilis started creating weapons for hunting animals for food and clothing—and since that moment, we have not stopped. Beef, pork, chicken and even whale are a few examples of the animals that people ingest everyday, but are you aware of the effects that the consuming of animal products has on people’s behavior?

First of all, we can mention the difference between carnivore and herbivore animals: the first ones intrinsically present a hostile behavior—similar to people who eat meat constantly, who tend to be aggressive, violent or apathetic—unlike vegetarians, whose way of acting is usually gentler, peaceful and easy-going. This change in behavior is related to the secretion of neurotransmitters, which are chemicals from our nervous system that transmit brain signals from one neuron to another to make us act in a particular way.

And, secondly, we can mention that human beings are affected by the environment; in this case, the diet that people incorporate to their lives, given that people can gradually change their behavior at the moment that meat is being either added or cut off from their diet. For instance, in times of war, to increase soldiers’ aggressiveness, the portions of meat in their meals were bigger. This made them “qualified” for going to the frontlines.

If meat is said to be one of the causes of people's aggressiveness, should we transform into a new vegetarian society or we should just keep taking the risk?