By 
Getting hangry is the worst feeling in the world. It strikes when you least expect it and basically turns anyone and everyone in its path into a raging lunatic. As much as you might try to avoid it, sometimes the feeling is just inescapable. But have you ever wondered why it happens in the first place?
It turns out, there's a totally logical reason you have an urge to bite someone's head off when you're hungry. According to the Huffington Post, getting hangry is actually a survival mechanism. Dr. Amanda Salis—who is currently studying hunger at the University of Sydney in Australia—explains that, "If our predecessors just stood back and politely let others get to the food before them, there is a good chance that they may not have gotten enough to eat."
Though we are no longer cavemen fighting over mammoth carcasses, this logic totally makes sense. And there's science to back it up. According to Salis, hanger is caused by a perceived lack of glucose. Our brains see this as life-threatening and throw us into a state of panic, which boosts our stress hormone levels and a brain chemical called neuropeptide Y. Both of those elements combined cause hanger's violent and aggressive nature. This nature encourages us to, "fight for our survival."
While it's unlikely we won't survive if we don't get a slice of pizza, further understanding of hanger could have real world implications. Salis even thinks it could help improve the treatment of obesity, explaining that, "When people lose weight, they typically experience greater levels of hunger" which is the, "number one contributor to weight loss plateaus and rebound weight regain."
If nothing else, you can now use your hunger as a valid and scientifically proven excuse for yelling at your friend that one time. She was blocking the burgers, after all.
Follow Delish on Instagram.
