Help for the ‘hangry’...that bad mood is all in your mind
IF you’re someone who feels ‘hangry’ help could be at hand.
those who become grumpy when their stomach rumbles are not simply hungry.
they are, according to scientists, simply interpreting the signal they need to eat as hostility from people around them – and lashing out. But there is an answer – and it’s not just to tuck into lunch.
An American study has found these grumpy moods can be controlled simply by taking a moment to become more ‘emotionally aware’.
Co- author Dr Kristan lindquist, of the University of North Carolina, said: ‘We find that feeling hangry happens when you feel unpleasantness due to hunger but interpret those feelings as strong emotions about other people or the situation you’re in.’
researchers tested 400 participants online, asking them to rate their hunger as well as whether they thought a series of Chinese characters were positive or negative.
Most had neutral responses but some saw objects through filters of sadness or anger when they were hungry.
Author Jennifer MacCormack said the study examined ‘ psychological mechanisms of hungerinduced emotional states’ and said the answer to ‘hanger’ was ‘simply taking a step back ... and recognisng how you’re feeling’.