How Being Hangry Costs You Friends And Productivity

07/29/22 • 27 min

Hunger plus anger equals hanger. It's a thing. And science now backs that up.

You could be one snack away from sabotaging your relationships and career. An exaggeration? Only slightly.

A new survey on hanger proves the phenomenon exists.

That "hanger" is actually fluctuating blood sugar that leads to impulsive decisions, words you don't mean (or shouldn't say out loud) and interactions you might regret.

Dr Neha Pathak is part of WebMD's medical team. Her job is to make sure the site's articles and videos are medically sound. She says the hangry study confirms what moms have known forever.

"Absolutely, so I think what we've known for a long time, is when we have low blood sugar it puts us up higher risk of being irritable getting angry and being impulsive. So this new study kind of adds to that, by showing us that when we're hungry, we also are at higher risk of negative emotions on a day to day basis," Pathak said.

The takeaway?

You might make some really bad calls in life because you needed a snack.

Think about that. You could be a handful of almonds away from setting your body and mind up for a blowup or for success.

One snack!

On this Dying to Ask:

How scientists studied hanger
A simple explanation of why you get cranky when you get hungry
The time of day you should probably never schedule an important meeting
Dr Pathak's pick for the number one food to treat hangriness fast
And what it's like to be a WebMD doc

Hunger plus anger equals hanger. It's a thing. And science now backs that up.

You could be one snack away from sabotaging your relationships and career. An exaggeration? Only slightly.

A new survey on hanger proves the phenomenon exists.

That "hanger" is actually fluctuating blood sugar that leads to impulsive decisions, words you don't mean (or shouldn't say out loud) and interactions you might regret.

Dr Neha Pathak is part of WebMD's medical team. Her job is to make sure the site's articles and videos are medically sound. She says the hangry study confirms what moms have known forever.

The takeaway?

You might make some really bad calls in life because you needed a snack.

Think about that. You could be a handful of almonds away from setting your body and mind up for a blowup or for success.

One snack!

On this Dying to Ask:

How scientists studied hanger
A simple explanation of why you get cranky when you get hungry
The time of day you should probably never schedule an important meeting
Dr Pathak's pick for the number one food to treat hangriness fast
And what it's like to be a WebMD doc

Previous Episode

5 Ways To Stress Less By Walking More

Feeling blah? Three words: take a walk.

Walking is having, as they say, a moment.

Walking is the simplest thing we do each day and it may be the most instantly impactful when it comes to our mental and physical health.

In this solo episode, Fitz takes a walk on the not so wild side to explain how adding frequent walk breaks to the day had a positive impact on stress and creativity.

You'll learn the science behind why "moving mindfulness" works and you'll get easy hacks to make walk breaks a powerful reset button in your day.

Feeling stuck? Take a walk.

Feeling down? Take a walk.

Feeling frustrated or tired? Say it with me, take a walk.

Up for taking our walk challenge? Take a selfie and post it on social media with #walkwithfitz and she'll share your pics to motivate the Dying to Ask community.

On this Dying to Ask:

How to sneak walking into your work or school day to improve productivity
The hidden benefit to taking your kids on a lap around the block
The science behind why walking impacts mood, depression and anxiety
Five ways to make a walking habit stick

Next Episode

Dorm Designers, Phone Dumps And All Things College 101

We're going back to school in this week's episode of the Dying to Ask podcast. Not a la Rodney Dangerfield in the 1986 comedy. More like a time hop to a time that may seem just as foreign.

Colleges expect this school year will be the most "normal" year for students since the pandemic started.

It might be normal by today's standards for young people. But if it's been a while since you moved into a dorm, wait until you hear what the college experience is like these days.

Jenn Curtis and Cynthia Muchnick, authors of "The Parent Compass," are back on the show this week.

And we're talking about everything from the HGTV-ization of dorm rooms to how phone dumps work and why your family needs one.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, buckle up, and get ready to go back to school, Dying to Ask-style. And yes, there will be a pop quiz for anyone who fails to leave a rating or review.

On this Dying to Ask: