Dr Michelle Dickinson: Nanogirl on science proving being 'hangry' is a real thing

This week we are talking 'being hangry' because for the first time science has proved that it's a thing! 
Hangry - a term to describe people who get angry because they are hungry has finally been shown to exist after a study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
In what is thought to be the first study exploring how hunger affects emotions in real-life situations, psychologists found that the more hungry people felt, the more angry (or hangry) they became. 
The researchers recruited 64 adults aged between 18 and 60 to record their emotions and feelings of hunger five times a day for three weeks as they lived their lives normally.  This was to compare the results to those that had been carried out in a controlled lab environment. 
The study found that hunger was associated with stronger feelings of both anger and irritability as well as lower levels of pleasure. 
The researchers believe that being able to recognise the association between irritability and hunger could help people to navigate when they might make big decisions in life or at work and consider not jumping to conclusions if they are close to mealtime.  
The research also raised the issues around children who go hungry to school and whether or not they are less likely to learn effectively and more likely to have behavioural problems. 
The reasons for the hanger are still unknown - one hypothesis is that it's to do with a drop in blood sugar, but while scientists figure out the cause - it's probably worth ensuring you pack that extra snack in your bag to help prevent an emergency hanger attack!

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