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Sometimes, we end up snapping at a friend for asking a petty question or giving a harmless comment, and then we regret it and feel sorry right after having a snack. It's unintentional, but it happens - when we get hangry. But why is this so?

When the hunger hormone gets to the brain

Focus on studies about this behavior is not new. In a study in 2019, researchers conducted a series of experiments with 400 participants focusing on the recognition of hunger as an emotion. They found that people are more likely to feel their hunger-related feelings when faced with negative situations.

In an article in 2021, gastroenterologist Dr. Christine Lee explained that this feeling is due to the decrease of glucose in the blood, which then releases cortisol, a stress hormone. For some people, low blood sugar interferes with some brain functions like impulse control. But for others, we can blame cortisol, which can cause aggression.

In a recent study, experts pointed out that hunger hormones like ghrelin can impact brain activity. While ghrelin is produced in the stomach, past research has shown that it can readily cross the BBB or the blood-brain barrier. In the hippocampus, ghrelin can influence a person's decision-making skills, memory and emotional response. This explains why we easily get angry when we are hungry - hangry.

Identifying where exactly in the brain being hangry comes from can help map the influence of diet on memory and learning. Further studies on this behavior can improve research on the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders and other mental illnesses.