Hungry” is a real emotion, study finds. How to deal with it

Hungry” is a real emotion, study finds. How to deal with it

It happens to the best of us: You get moody, only to realize that you're actually emotional because you're hungry. While many people joke about being "hangry," new research finds that it's actually a legitimate phenomenon.

This is the result of a study published in the journalPlus onewhich delved deeply into the experience of hangry (a term commonly used colloquially) in the hope of helping us all better understand and deal with such feelings.

“Very little research has been done on the effects of hunger on our emotions, particularly outside of the laboratory,” said study lead author Viren Swami, PhD, professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, EnglandThe health. “Hanger may seem intuitive, but it is important that research shows it is real so we can better understand why it occurs and how we can mitigate its effects.”

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Why it's important to study hangers

Although it may seem like a relatively minor problem, the reality is that when you experience hangups, it is important to give the emotion a name, Swami said. "If I can name my emotions - 'I feel hungry' - it can also reveal ways to relieve those emotions - 'I should eat,'" he explained.

And as Swami pointed out, there has been a ton of research focused on the experience, manifestation, and consequences of hangry, particularly in everyday settings. To correct this, researchers had 64 volunteers fill out a questionnaire for 21 days that required them to report their levels of hunger and anger at different times each day. And because the effects of hunger are likely not limited to just triggering feelings of anger, the researchers asked participants to also record whether they also experienced hunger in conjunction with other emotions - such as irritability, pleasure and arousal.

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that participants reported higher levels of anger and irritability when hungry than anything else. The results were consistent regardless of participants' gender, age, body mass index (BMI), diet and typical anger levels.

The researchers concluded that the study results provide evidence that everyday hunger levels are indeed associated with negative emotionality, supporting the general idea that one can be "hungry," the researchers wrote.

“The results of the present study suggest that the experience of being hungry is real, as hunger was associated with greater anger and irritability and lower pleasure,” the study said. “These results may have important implications for understanding everyday experiences of emotions and may also help practitioners ensure more productive individual behaviors and interpersonal relationships more effectively.”

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What to Do When You're Hangry

It's important not to judge yourself when you feel hungry, especially because so many people experience this emotion, Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of theMind in sightPodcast, toldThe health.

“There’s a lot of negativity when we talk about emotions,” Gallagher said. "If we can name them without bias - I feel irritated, angry or sad because I'm hungry - the better off you are to control those emotions and do something to help them."

However, the advantage of hang-ups compared to some other emotions is that you can do something about them fairly quickly.

"Sometimes when you're feeling a certain way, like feeling sad about a loss, you just have to sit with it and ride it out," Gallagher explained. "But there's an emotional connection to not eating, and sometimes just eating can make those negative emotions go away. Hanger is like an alarm system for your body."

If you tend to experience hang-ups on a regular basis, Gallagher recommends focusing on three healthy meals a day, along with snacks in between if necessary. “Start there and see how you feel,” she said. "Some people don't view good food as an important element of self-care, but it's important to make sure it's a foundation for your day."

Swami acknowledged that some people might find his research "intuitive, even trivial," but said it had "important implications."

Being able to name an emotion by putting feelings into words - such as: B. Hangry – can help individuals regulate these emotions, the study found. This “affect labeling” can help reduce the likelihood that hunger will lead to negative emotions and therefore negative behaviors.

“No one should go hungry because hunger can clearly have negative emotional consequences,” Swami said.

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