Have you ever noticed that some people become more aggressive when they're hungry?
New research reveals that the phenomenon of becoming "hangry" – a combination of hunger and anger – is indeed rooted in reality, with hunger strongly linked to feelings of anger and irritability.
This study delves into how hunger affects emotions on a day-to-day basis.
Learning more about being "hangry"
Though the term "hangry" is widely used, it hasn't been extensively explored scientifically outside controlled environments.
To bridge this gap, the scientists recruited 64 people from Central Europe who reported their hunger levels and also their emotional well-being via a smartphone app over a 21-day period, capturing data in real-life settings.
The findings show a significant association between hunger and heightened anger and irritability, as well as decreased levels of pleasure.
These effects persisted even after accounting for factors like age, sex, body mass index, dietary habits, and also personality traits.
Hunger was linked to 36% of irritability variance, 35% of anger variance, and over 37% of pleasure variance reported by people.
Interestingly, the study reveals that day-to-day fluctuations in hunger and residual levels of hunger over the three-week period contribute to these negative feelings and emotions.
It's actually important
Viren Swami emphasizes the importance of recognizing and labeling emotions, suggesting that greater awareness of feeling "hangry" could help people manage aggression and behaviors triggered by hunger.
The study's innovative approach of using real-life prompts via a smartphone app provides a comprehensive understanding of the emotional impact of hunger in everyday situations.
