Well Said

Hanger isn't a word your mom made up, after all. It's actually defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “feeling irritable or bad tempered when you’re hungry,” and has become the research focus of doctoral student Jenn MacCormack, who is studying how physical states — like hunger — impact human emotions — like anger. Her research shows that hanger is not automatic whenever you need a snack. The environment you’re in and whether or not you’re aware of your hunger play a role in going from hungry to hangry. On this week’s episode of Well Said, MacCormack and her advisor, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience Kristen Lindquist, take us through some research they’ve conducted on hanger.