'˜Hangryness' striking British workers

Britain is a nation filled with '˜hangry' workers, according to research by the UK's largest dining company.

In a survey carried out by Tastecard around 80 per cent of people across the country claim to feel ‘hangry’ at least once a week.

The company describes being hangry as “a state of anger that arises with a lack of food”.

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Around 42 per cent of Brits admitted to feeling irritable when hungry while 41 per cent said they are frustrated and 34 per cent feel stressed.

More than a third said they had lost their temper with a partner while hangry and 14 per cent had thrown a tantrum. Sixteen per cent even admitted to shedding tears.

Robert Stewart, a psychotherapist and coach based in London, says: “Becoming hungry can be an unpleasant experience, particularly if there is no meal in sight.

“As our blood sugar level begins to drop and we experience physical tiredness, our body begins to produce ghrelin, our hunger hormone, which signals to our brain that we require some food and the quicker the better.

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“We become ‘hangry’ as physiological changes occur following the production of ghrelin and our brain begins to focus on survival.

“Research suggests our sensory perceptions become heightened when hungry and as this happens we will enter an ‘incentive driven’ mind-set.

“Our focus will become narrower as we try to centre our attention on the information that seems most relevant to satiating our appetite.”

The survey also found a quarter of Brits had broken a diet when hangry, with another quarter claiming to have over-eaten during meals because of hangryness.

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Forty percent felt most hangry between breakfast and lunch while men were found to be the most hangry sex, with 83 per cent suffering at least once a week compared to 77 per cent of females.

Matt Turner, CEO of tastecard, said: “The results of our poll show that the majority of us have experienced ‘hanger’ and have had a hangrymoment or two at some point, whether it’s losing our temper or breaking a diet. It’s interesting how hunger can have such a big impact on our behaviour, and how quickly it can turn into hanger.

“The results have revealed who hanger affects the most so we now know who to look out for - and avoid. For those of you who experience hangry people regularly, we suggest having some snacks ready to combat their hunger before it turns to hanger.

When it comes to work HR professionals top the list with 93 per cent of those surveyed feeling hangry at least once a week.

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Media and marketing workers are the next worse suffers with Sales, IT, healthcare and education workers also hitting the top ten.

The full list is below:

1) HR (93%)

2) Media / marketing (88%)

3) Sales (86%)

4) Finance / purchasing (85%)

5) IT (83%)

6) Legal (80%)

7) Business administration (77%)

8) Transport / logistics (74%)

9) Healthcare (73%)

10) Education (64%)

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