Are the words ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’ helpful or harmful to the quest to reduce society’s ravenous meat consumption? Gregg Sparkman is a PhD student in social psychology at Stanford University who specializes in the study of how to get people to eat less meat. In this interview he takes us through the many fascinating (and often counter intuitive) dynamics of what it takes to get people to measurably reduce their meat intake – and it’s not what you think. We talk about social norms in messaging and in particular his specific field of ‘dynamic norms’ where he proved that simply changing a few words in a message has the proven capacity to double the amount of vegan meal choices. This episode is a rare gem and an absolutely must for anyone trying to influence ethical, plant-based or sustainable eating habits. Gregg explains many crucial psychological concepts often left out of the vegan and vegetarian movement’s attempts to change the world.

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