Are You Hangry? Or Do You Just Lack Self-Awareness?
Scientists have looked into why we get hangry and I feel personally attacked.
We've all been there before, right? We intend on taking a lunch break, but then another email pops up that is urgent. A gazillion emails and fires to put out later and you're past hungry... You're famished. Without intending to you find yourself lashing out at people, slamming doors and you can feel your blood boiling. We've ALL been there, right?
RIGHT?!
If you haven't then you probably think I'm a crazy person because I have been there. Ok, maybe I don't slam doors, but I have gotten really snappy with my husband. He's the only one who has called me out on my behavior while simultaneously throwing a cheeseburger to bring the lion back down to kitty cat. It's called being hangry and it mostly has to do with your blood sugar dropping.
Mostly.
Scientists at the University of North Carolina have discovered that being hangry is a combination of physical, emotional and personality cues. What's more, experiencing "hangriness" does not affect everyone. Diving a bit further, the results show two key factors "context and self-awareness."
Everyone feels hungry and understands that eating something will remove those negative feelings. For those that get hangry though, we, I mean they misinterpret those feelings as strong emotions about what's around them; people, things, environment.
To really drive the stake in, researchers say that those who are more self-aware don't tend to get hangry. I pride myself in being self-aware, but obviously I've got some more work to do on myself. Orrrr we could just go back to the "low blood sugar" thing? I like that better.