Feeling 'Hangry' Is A Legit Emotion, According To Science
We’ve all been there; we’re hungry, and we get angry because of it. This is what the kids call ‘hangry’, aka the feeling of frustration that can only be quelled by a descent feed.
And it turns out that it’s a legitimate condition, verified by the authority on all things in worth verifying… scientists. That’s right, our friendly lab-coat wearing protectors have once again come to our defense, this time to validate our bad moods when we’ve gone more than an hour without eating.
When it’s been a few hours since your latest feed, your blood glucose levels drop, and your brain essentially goes into panic mode as it needs glucose to function. Without it, you lose concentration and get a little short.
As a flow on effect from low blood glucose, the body releases the stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, kick-starting your fight or flight response. Although when you’re sitting in your office, there isn’t might to ‘fight or flight’ from, hence your built up aggression.
You’re also more likely to get ‘hangry’ because of a cheeky little chemical called neuropeptite Y, which is released into the brain when you’re hungry. Neuropeptite Y has involvement in circadian rhythms, sexual function, and anxiety responses… not a great one to have floating around uninvited and unchecked.
“We have been able to show that increasing ghrelin (the hunger hormone) to levels that are seen prior to meals or during fasting, causes the brain to act impulsively and also affects the ability to make rational decisions," says author Karolina Skibicka, from the University of Gothenburg, in her study published in Neuropsychopharmacology.
With all of this concrete evidence to justify our hunger-induced anger, why would anyone every invent a ‘Happy Meal’. Surely a ‘Hangry Meal’ would be a more appropriate cure to the condition?
Luckily our mates at Deliveroo have our nation’s best interests at heart, offering a $4.95 ‘Hangry Meal’ with free delivery this National Burger Day, the 28th of May. Ensuring every capital city in Australia has access to the cure, hit up the Deliveroo app on May 28 to get your fix of burger, fries, drink... oh and a toy, just to keep the 'hangers' at bay.
