Does Gender Matter? Emotional and Cognitive Attitudes Toward Entomophagy

Entomophagy, or the consumption of insects, is increasingly recognized as a component of sustainable food systems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, lowering resource use, and improving animal welfare. Nevertheless, it continues to face resistance in Western societies, mainly driven by psychological, cultural, and emotional factors. This study aimed to explore gender differences in emotional and cognitive attitudes toward edible insects—understood as variations in knowledge, acceptance, and emotional responses to the idea of insect consumption.
This study involved 227 students from the Wrocław University of Economics and Business (53% women, 47% men). Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their knowledge and attitudes toward entomophagy before and after viewing a short educational video. At the same time, their emotional responses were recorded using FaceReader software, which analyzes facial expressions in real time.
The results showed that women experienced more frequent and intense negative emotions (such as sadness, anger, and disgust) and demonstrated greater emotional variability than men, who remained more neutral and emotionally consistent. However, women were also more likely to shift their attitudes after watching the video, more often expressing increased acceptance of insects as part of their diet, particularly when presented in invisible forms (e.g., insect flour). The strongest predictor of rejection was disgust, which was notably higher among female participants.
These findings suggest that gender plays a significant role in shaping responses to entomophagy. Integrating self-reported data with real-time emotional analysis can offer a more nuanced understanding of the psychological barriers to insect consumption. The results also underscore the importance of tailoring educational strategies and communication efforts to different levels of emotional sensitivity to effectively promote sustainable dietary choices.