Scientific evidence that people get 'hangry'
July 7, 2022
A study published in the PLOS One journal on Wednesday examined the link between hunger and negative emotions.
The connection between hunger and anger has long been described using the colloquial English term "hangry," or a mix of hungry and angry. The study found a link between hunger and feelings of anger and irritability, giving credence to the popular belief embodied by the term.
What did the study find?
The study examined 64 participants from Central Europe who reported their hunger, anger, irritability, pleasure and arousal at five points each day over 21 days.
"Results indicated that greater levels of self-reported hunger were associated with greater feelings of anger and irritability, and with lower pleasure," the study said.
The study found that associations with arousal were not significant, unlike anger, irritability and pleasure.
"These results provide evidence that everyday levels of hunger are associated with negative emotionality and supports the notion of being 'hangry,'" researchers concluded.
Why do we feel 'hangry'?
The reason for the link between hunger and irritability is not yet clear.
One possible explanation is that the brain doesn't have the same capacity to regulate emotions following a drop in blood sugar, study author Viren Swami told the German DPA news agency.
Another possibility is that we react to external factors differently when hungry and find them more disturbing, according to Swami.
"It's probably a complicated combination of both [factors]," Swami said, adding that psychological factors play a greater role in the "hangry" sensation than blood sugar levels.
However, other researchers remain unconvinced. Nutrition and health psychology professor Johann Christoph Klotter of Germany's Fulda University expressed doubts about the significance of the study. Klotter told DPA that cause and effect cannot be separated when it comes to the link between hunger and anger, and that hunger can itself be a manifestation of anger.
DPA contributed to this article.