Would you eat meat grown in a lab?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture have given the go-ahead for cultured

to be sold in the U.S., although it's not yet available in stores.

Advocates of cultured meat say that it could help address the environmental and animal welfare concerns

that come with meeting the public's desire for chicken, burgers, and steak.

But not everyone is convinced. In March, Mississippi became the third state to outlaw the sale

of cultured meat, joining Florida and Alabama. And beyond the legal threats, researchers have found

that a significant portion of consumers say they would just be

reluctant to try it. Today we're going to talk to two psychologists about why that is. What are the

psychological factors at play when people consider eating lab-grown meat or meat in general? How to moral

values, disgust, and other psychological factors contribute to people's dietary choices?

And could lab-grown meat become a viable part of most consumers' diet in the future?

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science

and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills. I have two guests today. First is Dr. Maddie Wilkes,

a lecturer in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She has studied people's attitudes

toward cultured meat and what's called the natural is better bias.

More broadly, she's interested in people's moral motivations and choices, including children's moral development, people's concern for animals, and unusually altruistic people.

Dr. Wilk's work has been covered by Scientific American, new scientists, and other publications.

Also with us today is Dr. Daniel Rosenfeld, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Los Angeles.

His research centers on eating behavior with a particular focus on the psychology of vegetarianism,

as well as attitudes toward cultured meat.

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