You stared at the boss, as if blades could fly out of your eyes, and you cursed him thousands of times in your heart. If you are more tempered, it is very possible to say a few words to the boss. Does this scenario happen often?
If your boss understood how the human body works, he probably wouldn’t fire you for offending you. Instead, you find your hands shaking, your skin clammy, and your stomach sinking. Then, I suddenly remembered that I was so busy at noon that I didn’t even have time to eat. In fact, no matter how busy you are, you must remember to eat.
Because research has shown a link between hypoglycemia and anger. That is to say, sometimes you are angry because you are hungry. So the next time you talk to your boss about work, fill your belly with a small snack.
Many of us are familiar with the feeling of hypoglycemia, and it seems that once it does, some people become paranoid. Some get absurd, others become hostile. At this time, usually a glass of juice, a candy bar, or some well-timed snacks can ease the mood. So why do people get mad because they’re hungry?
Some people have self-control, while others lack it. In recent years, scientists have linked self-control to nutrition. They believe that self-control requires energy to support it. Self-control is out of the question if your body digs around for energy and finds nothing.
Physiologically, everything depends on the amount of glucose your body is running. The human body is a machine and like all machines needs fuel. Fuel comes in the form of glucose, or blood sugar. The body converts carbohydrates in food into glucose, which is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. At the same time, some glucose is stored as fat.
During hypoglycemia, the hypothalamus and other related parts involved in hormone production warp, throwing hormones out of whack in the body and inhibiting a neurotransmitter called serotonin. Serotonin is like the hand, it controls mood and appetite. In fact, serotonin is also known as the feel-good neurotransmitter due to its ability to curb anxiety and depression.
If the synthesis of serotonin in the body stops, people’s mood will fluctuate, and they will also become forgetful and inattentive, and even become angry. At the same time, as blood sugar drops sharply from the peak (from 70-100 mg per minute to less than 55 mg per deciliter), people will feel hungry.
In a study published in April 2014, scientists confirmed that people do feel angry when they are hungry. Scientists studied married couples to see if low glucose levels made them more aggressive. The scientists monitored the glucose levels of 107 married couples twice a day for 21 consecutive days. To test their aggressive impulses, the researchers asked each person to drive between 0 and 51 nails into a voodoo doll representing their spouse. In other words, the angrier you are, the more nails you use.
After the three weeks of monitoring, the researchers asked each couple to play a “game” that tested aggression. Before the game, couples sat in separate cubicles, and the winner of the game was allowed to bombard the spouse in the other room with loud noise. However, in fact this game has a hidden secret. Unbeknownst to the subjects, the researchers did not turn up the volume. Still, those with lower glucose levels believed they bombarded their mates with more powerful and irritating high-decibel noises.
“The findings suggest that interventions that provide metabolic energy to individuals may lead to more harmonious couple interactions,” the authors state. In other words, eat something before a fight.
The Ohio State study is just one of those linking self-control and glucose levels in the brain. One study concluded that those who drank a drink high in glucose were less aggressive than those who drank no glucose drink.
Another study found an indirect relationship between poor glucose metabolism, aggressiveness, and decreased self-control, and diabetes. While such a causal relationship is difficult to establish, these studies suggest that a small spoonful of sugar can defuse violent and aggressive behavior.
Next time, eat a candy before meeting the boss!
