Study Shows That You Shouldn’t Make Important Decisions When You’re Hungry

Last Updated on 2023-01-22 , 5:58 pm

Has this ever happened to you?

You haven’t eaten since 10 hours ago and your last meal was just 2 slices of bread with Nutella sandwiched in between.

You are now at the restaurant/hawker centre and you take a good look at the menu before ordering a table full of food.

And before you know it, you’re full. But you’re left with LOTS of leftovers.

Well, as someone who frequently skips meals to get work done (yes I know it’s an incredibly unhealthy habit), I would say that that has happened a few times.

And if you’re in the same boat as me, rest assured. This new study suggests that it’s probably not our fault.

Apparently, a research that was conducted to find a link between hunger and decision making found out that humans make bad decisions on an empty stomach.

The Aim 

With every research experiment, there has to first be an aim.

In this case, study author Dr Benjamin Vincent said that they wanted to find out whether being in a state of hunger had a specific effect on how you make decisions only relating to food or if it had broader effects.

The Experiment  

Researchers from the University of Dundee looked at 50 participants with an average age of 21.7, who were asked questions relating to food, money and other rewards when they had eaten 2 hours before and when they had not eaten in 10 hours.

For example, one of the questions includes asking the participant if they would prefer receiving a reward immediately or wait for a longer period to get a better reward.

What would your answer be? Wait or get it now?

Chances are, according to the findings from the research, if you’re hungry right now you would have chosen the latter.

The Results 

The results showed that people who expressed a stronger preference for a smaller reward immediately when hungry, rather than a larger reward which would arrive later.

When they weren’t hungry, people were willing to wait for 35 days for a reward double the size, however, the wait time dropped to 3 days when they were hungry.

Could this mean that people are more impatient when they are hungry?

Hmm… maybe not impatient.

Dr Vincent mentioned that this research suggests that people are more present-focused when they are hungry.

Are Hormones To Blame? 

In a separate study, researchers found out that when hungry, the hormone ghrelin is produced. The hormone has been linked to a negative effect on both decision making and impulse control.

Which is why a hungry man is an angry one.

What This Means

While it is not clear why people get more present-focused for unrelated rewards when hungry, this research still has lots of other implications.

For example, now you know not to make life-changing decisions when you’re hungry.

So, are you going to propose to someone soon?

You know what to do.

Featured Image: The Num Phanu Studio / Shutterstock.com