I studied why vegans have higher rates of depression

I think there is another side to this that was briefly mentioned in passing.

When people adopt these identities, it often comes with a community. In an increasingly lonely world, these identities are a fast track to a feeling of belonging. To give up the identity is to give up the community and be cast back out into the wilderness alone.

Since these communities are only held together by these shared identities, they tend to be rigid and fragile… especially online where people are often more one-dimensional.