Lashing out at your spouse? Check your blood sugar

I have seen children come into a restaurant cranky & crying, and after eating become smiling & happy.

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 14-Apr-2014

Contact: Brad Bushman
Ohio State University

Lashing out at your spouse? Check your blood sugar

Lower levels of blood sugar may make married people angrier at their spouses and even more likely to lash out aggressively, new research reveals.

In a 21-day study, researchers found that levels of blood glucose in married people, measured each night, predicted how angry they would be with their spouse that evening.

At the end of the 21 days, people who had generally lower levels of glucose were willing to blast their spouses with unpleasant noises at a higher volume and for a longer time than those who had higher glucose levels.

The study shows how one simple, often overlooked factor – hunger caused by low levels of blood glucose - may play a role in marital arguments, confrontations and possibly even some domestic violence, said Brad Bushman, lead author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University.

Blood glucose levels can be brought up most quickly by eating carbohydrates or sugary foods.

"People can relate to this idea that when they get hungry, they get cranky," Bushman said.

It even has a slang term: "hangry" (hungry + angry).

"We found that being hangry can affect our behavior in a bad way, even in our most intimate relationships," he said.

-----

"Even those who reported they had good relationships with their spouses were more likely to express anger if their blood glucose levels were lower."

-----

Why does low blood sugar make people more prone to anger and aggression?

Bushman said that glucose is fuel for the brain. The self-control needed to deal with anger and aggressive impulses takes energy, and that energy is provided in part by glucose.

"Even though the brain is only 2 percent of our body weight, it consumes about 20 percent of our calories. It is a very demanding organ when it comes to energy," he said.

"It's simple advice but it works: Before you have a difficult conversation with your spouse, make sure you're not hungry."