Feeling hungry and angry? Scientists reveal what really makes you ‘hangry’
Scientists may have finally cracked why you get irritable when you're hungry, and it's not just due to a drop in blood sugar
SCIENCE has revealed why you get annoyed when you want something to eat.
The word "hangry" is defined as feeling "bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger" by the Oxford dictionary – and now scientists have figured out why we get in a rage when we're craving a bite.
Researchers in the US conducted two experiments involving over 400 people – who were asked to state how hungry they were – showing them random images designed to create positive, neutral or negative feelings.
They were also shown a Chinese pictograph, an ambiguous image that they were asked to rate based on pleasantness.
Results showed that hungrier participants were more likely to rate the pictographs as negative, but only after first seeing a negative image.
"You don't just become hungry and start lashing out at the universe," said the study's co-author, assistant professor Dr Kristen Lindquist.
"We've all felt hungry, recognised the unpleasantness as hunger, had a sandwich and felt better.
"We find that feeling hangry happens when you feel unpleasantness due to hunger but interpret those feelings as strong emotions about other people or the situation you're in," explained Dr Lindquist.
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