Furious Britain is suffering from a 'hangry' epidemic

New research has revealed that Britain is now a nation overwhelmed by ‘hangry’* emotions - hungry anger, in which a lack of food drives people into fits of fury.

A massive 79 percent of Brits admit they’ve felt hangry before – with more than one in ten (11 percent) confessing they get hangry on a daily basis. According to the survey, two o’clock is officially Hanger o’clock – the time that the effects of hanger are most likely to strike.

And although this stomach-driven rage might sound unimportant, researchers for British Lion eggs, which commissioned the study, found that it can lead to some serious issues. 61 percent of Brits admit that hangriness has led to them making mistakes and behaving in a very angry manner.

Every year, the average Brit will pick a fight with their partner 15 times, shout swear words 18 times, slam a door 13 times, swear under their breath 22 times – and shout at a stranger a whopping 11 times – all because they are feeling hangry.

The increase in hanger could in part be down to new ‘fasting’ diets which restrict calories on certain days. Over a third of the 1,500 respondents (38 percent) have tried a fasting diet in the past, with 46 percent of women experimenting with one, compared to 28 percent of men.

And 74 percent of those who have tried fasting diets admit they got more grumpy on the days they ate less food.

It is relatively easy to avoid hanger however, with 79 percent of Brits reporting that their mood is better if they stick to three regular meals a day. British Lion eggs nutritionist Cat MacDonald says “It’s something that can be easily solved simply by regularly eating proper nutritious meals. If you eat two boiled eggs for breakfast, you will most likely feel full until at least lunchtime due to the protein they contain and therefore not feel the urge to eat unhealthy snacks like biscuits.”

The research also revealed that women are the hangrier sex: 27 percent of men say they’ve never got hangry, compared to just 17 percent of women.

Breakfast is the meal Brits are most likely to skip (55 percent), with lunch second (36 percent), and dinner the least likely (9 percent).

And that in turn has consequences, as 61 percent of Brits report that – if they miss a meal – they’ll turn to anything at hand to quell their hunger, including biscuits and chocolate.

“This survey proves that hanger can cause problems in everyday life,” says Andrew Joret from British Lion eggs, who commissioned the study. “And as our hanger map shows, it is a problem in many UK cities.”

After missing breakfast, 58 percent of Brits admit they’ve gorged on biscuits to quell hunger, 47 percent have scoffed crisps, while 41 percent have guzzled chocolate. And a third of Brits (33 percent) admit to chomping on cake, with 27 percent having tucked into sweets.

Even if we do eat breakfast, it’s rushed.  The average Brit spends just 10 mins eating breakfast, compared to 18 mins watching TV, 14 minutes checking emails, 13 minutes going on social media and 11 minutes hanging up washing.

Manchester is the hanger capital of the UK, followed by Belfast and Norwich in joint second.

66 percent of Brits think that the nation is getting hangrier – blaming fasting diets, busy lifestyles and a lack of patience for the hangry epidemic.

Research conducted by Ginger Comms on 1,508 UK adults in July 2018.