Getting Angry With Your Spouse? Use Food To Stop The Anger!
When you see those storm clouds gathering in your significant other’s eyes, you might do well to give them some carbohydrates — and fast.
At least that’s the advice of a team of researchers who examined the connection between low blood sugar levels and aggression in married couples.
The paper, which was published Monday in PNAS, found that when blood glucose levels dropped, spouses were far more likely to stick pins into voodoo dolls representing their mates. They were also more likely to blast loud noises into earphones strapped to their mate’s head.
The authors argue that loss of self-control is a contributing factor to aggression between intimate partners, and that self-control is linked to nutrition.
“Self-control requires energy, and that energy is provided in part by glucose,” wrote lead study author Brad Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University.
“Glucose is made from nutritious intake that becomes converted into neurotransmitters that provide energy for brain processes. Low glucose levels can undermine self-control because people have insufficient energy to overcome challenges and unwanted impulses,” wrote Bushman and his colleagues.
The authors described the phenomenon of lashing out aggressively due to hunger with the slang term “hanger.”
“Results suggest that interventions designed to provide individuals with metabolic energy might foster more harmonious couple interactions,” the authors concluded.
Food, they wrote, might also be of use in aggressive situations that did not involve spouses.
“Food could be a potential tool for curbing aggression by bolstering resources for effective self-control. This intervention might be especially important in stressful settings in which aggression might erupt, such as in prisons, psychiatric hospitals and schools.“
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