8 Emotional Stages Every Hangry Person Will Understand
Hanger: The combination of anger and hunger resulting in a grumpy mood, random outbursts, and irrational fantasies of desired food.
By Katy Colvin
People who often get hangry understand that keeping food in close proximity is absolutely essential. Hanger can cause us to do terrible things, like yelling at our best friends or gorging ourselves on junk food. To prevent horrible outbursts of rage from your hangry friends, learn to recognize the eight stages of hanger.
1. Prolonged periods of time without access to food lead to a wandering mind.
When a hangry person goes without food for a few hours at a time, the desire to find food seems to slowly take over their mind.
2. Focusing on the aforementioned lack of food leads to hyper-focusing on when you will eat the next meal.
Food fantasies become even more vivid when a hangry person is denied near access to food. Everything from your Pinterest board seems to come to life, and your expectations for the next meal seem to become increasingly high.
3. Anger starts to build when you realize that you can’t focus on anything but access to your next meal.
Your ability to be productive quickly diminishes at the thought of being hungry, therefore, you become angry at the situation that is preventing you from eating. Suddenly everything standing in the way of obtaining food is an obstacle that you don’t want to cross.
4. Your stomach starts to growl, further reminding you of your inner rage.
Stomach growls heighten every other symptom of hanger, and seem to be constantly reminding you of your starvation.
5. Someone asks you if you’re okay, and their obvious oblivion to your hunger just begins to send you over the edge.
Un-Hangry people do not understand the agony that you are in at this moment, therefore, they try to be kind and considerate towards your feelings. But all you hear is aggravating comments about your sour attitude because they don’t understand your pain.
6. You officially cannot deny your hunger because someone has pointed out the fact that you’re looking uncomfortable.
Now that someone has pointed out the fact that you’re hungry, this fact seems impossible to even pretend to ignore. Don’t even try.
7. You officially lose interest in anything that does not have to do with obtaining food, and your stomach has given you a one-track mind.
At this stage in hanger, you are completely useless until you gain access to good food. Eating is essential to improving your general attitude and allowing you to focus on something other than your next meal or snack. This is the last stage before full-blown chaos ensues.
8. Your hanger has fully developed and at this point, your friends should get you food ASAP before you start yelling at someone or spontaneously crying.
It’s game over. This is the last stage in the game, and anyone who has ever experienced hanger knows that this is a dangerous state of mind for anyone preventing you from gaining access to food. Try to prevent hanger before it reaches this point of no return.