Being ‘hangry’ causes 15 relationship fights and 11 rows with strangers each year
The British Lion eggs study shows that 61 per cent of people have admitted to making major mistakes because they were 'hangry'
Each year, the average Brit will pick a fight with their partner 15 times, shout and swear 18 times, slam 13 doors and scream at 11 strangers - all because they are HANGRY.
New research of the nation has shown that busy lives and strict diets mean, as a nation we are regularly overwhelmed with feelings of hanger.*
In fact, a massive 79 percent of Brits admit they feel genuine anger when hungry, with more than one in ten (11 percent) confessing they get hangry on a daily basis.
And according to the survey, two o’clock is officially Hanger o’clock – the time that the effects are most likely to strike.
And although stomach-driven rage might sound unimportant, researchers for British Lion eggs, which commissioned the study, found that it can lead to some serious issues, with as many as 61 percent of Brits admitting hangriness has led to them make major mistakes or behave extremely badly.
And the findings suggest an increase in hanger could in part be down to the new craze in ‘fasting’ diets which restrict calories on certain days.
Over a third of the 1,500 respondents polled (38 percent) have tried a fasting diet in the past, with 46 percent of women experimenting with one, compared to 28 percent of men.
And 74 percent of those who have tried fasting diets admit they got more grumpy on the days they ate less food.
It is relatively easy to avoid hanger however, with 79 percent of Brits reporting that their mood is better if they stick to three regular meals a day.
British Lion eggs nutritionist Cat MacDonald says “It’s something that can be easily solved simply by regularly eating proper nutritious meals.
Hangry acts - Top 10 actions caused by hanger
1. Swear under your breath 21.2%
2. Shout swear words 18.1%
3. Get very frustrated waiting in a supermarket queue 15.4%
4. Argue / pick a fight with your partner 14.7%
5. Tell your kids off for something minor 14.4%
6. Burst into tears for little or no reason 14.1%
7. Get angry while waiting at traffic lights 13.9%
8. Shout at your kids 13.6%
9. Hang up a phone call abruptly 13.4%
10. Clash with work colleagues / Tell a colleague off at work 13.3%
If you eat two boiled eggs for breakfast, you will most likely feel full until at least lunchtime due to the protein they contain and therefore not feel the urge to eat unhealthy snacks like biscuits.”
The research also revealed that women are the hangrier sex - with as many as 27 percent of the men polled say they’ve never experiences feeling hangry, compared to just 17 percent of women.
And it seems breakfast is the meal Brits are most likely to skip (55 percent), with lunch second (36 percent), and dinner the least likely (9 percent).
And that in turn has consequences, as 61 percent of Brits report that – if they miss a meal – they’ll turn to anything at hand to quell their hanger.
After missing breakfast, 58 percent of Brits admit they’ve gorged on biscuits to quell hunger, 47 percent have scoffed crisps, while 41 percent have guzzled chocolate.
And a third of Brits (33 percent) admit to chomping on cake, with 27 percent having tucked into sweets.
Even if we do eat breakfast, it’s rushed.
The average Brit spends just 10 mins eating breakfast, compared to 18 mins watching TV, 14 minutes checking emails, 13 minutes going on social media and 11 minutes hanging up washing.
Manchester is the hanger capital of the UK, followed by Belfast and Norwich in joint second.
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66 percent of Brits think that the nation is getting hangrier – blaming fasting diets, busy lifestyles and a lack of patience for the hangry epidemic.
“This survey proves that hanger can cause problems in everyday life,” says Andrew Joret from British Lion eggs, who commissioned the study.
*’Hangry’, adjective - Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.