(Hattie Gladwell/ Metro) — The “you’re not you when you’re hungry” saying from the Snickers campaign has been scientifically proven.
Psychologist Professor Francesco Leri of Guelph University, and his research team, used rats to study how being hungry can affect mood.
They found that becoming angry when you’re hungry is all down to low glucose levels – or hypoglycaemia. This sudden drop in glucose has been shown to affect mood in lab rats, and the same applies to humans, the Canadian team said.
Professor Francesco Leri said: ‘We found evidence a change in glucose level can have a lasting effect on mood. “I was sceptical when people would tell me that they get grouchy if they don’t eat – but now I believe it. Hypoglycemia is a strong physiological and psychological stressor.”
The study published in Psychopharmacology examined the impact of a sudden glucose drop on emotional behaviour by inducing the condition in lab rodents. (…)