You didn’t think we’d let this scientific discovery go unnoticed did you? Now, we’d like to first start off this post by saying we didn’t need science to know being Hangry was real… so we’ll just leave that ‘I told you so’ right here. Having said that, we are ecstatic to find out that we can now blame science every time we accidently scream at a co-worker when we forget to eat breakfast, “Sorry. Science says what I’m feeling is normal, Barb.”
The Hangry Condition
Just last week, a myth became fact when Science writer Simon Oxenham wrote, ‘The main reason we become more irritable when hungry is because our glucose level drops… This can make it difficult for us to concentrate, and more likely to snap at those around us’ (New Scientist). Simon further proves this point by explaining a study performed by married couples. The participants would compete against their loved one in a game, and the winner was allowed to blast a loud noise through the loser’s headphones. During this whole process, the researchers were tracking the participant’s glucose levels, and when the participants had lower sugar levels, they would blast the loud noise in their spouse’s ears for a much longer periods of time (how ruthless!).
The reason for this savagery in simple, explains Oxenham. When your blood sugar is low, this releases hormones that cause stress (ex.cortisol). In addition, according to Oxenham, this also causes a release of a chemical called neuropeptide Y. This specific chemical is known (and has been scientifically proven) to increase the aggression of an individual.
No Taking Advantage
Now, we’re not saying you’re allowed to take neuropeptide Y overload work leave. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t think about it. So next time your bae gets upset with you for screaming at the waiter because your food is taking too long; just say “Simon says it’s completely normal for me to feel this way.”
Gotta love science!
Stay Hangry, friends.
Who are we? We love that question…
Hangry is an enterprise food service and loyalty platform built for colleges, universities and food service operators.
Hangry delivers a comprehensive platform that includes: loyalty & rewards, mobile food ordering, meal plan integration, push marketing, campaigns, nutrition, and student feedback. Our robust data analytics module provides visibility into student buying trends and patterns, along with key marketing metrics.
We put you in complete control to deliver exceptional on-campus dining for your most important asset – your students.