Maine Has Been Determined To Be The Hangriest State in America
Hanger
For those unfamiliar with the term "hanger" it's likely that you're familiar with the emotion. Being hangry is when you're angry because you're hungry.
Waiting too long between meals can result in decreased patience and increased irritation. The angry reactions and feelings you experience likely wouldn't occur if you had a full belly.
And it's likely that once you do get to sit down and eat you do that little happy dance and all is well in the world.
I know this well because I fully recognize that I am someone prone to hanger.
Hangry Maine
Zippia.com ranked all 50 states on the level of hanger.
They determined hanger rankings based on 5 key things:
Fast food joints per capita: The thought behind this one is the less available a quick meal is, the higher the hanger.
The number of Walmart locations: Walmart is known for having affordable accessible food. If one isn't nearby that is an increased chance for hanger.
How often "hanger" is searched for: These folks were likely called hangry and wanted to find out what it meant before they got hangry at the person who said it.
Break laws for workers in each state: If the state has strict laws about breaks and workers aren't able to grab a snack, they're more likely to be hangry.
Percentage of adults with diabetes: This actually has to do with the scientific reason for hanger. According to Cleveland Clinic, when you've gone an extended period of time without food your blood sugar gets low and this triggers hormones that cause stress, and adrenaline. (Read more, here.)
How Maine Became #1 in Hanger
Zippia found that there are only 3.1 fast-food restaurants per 10k residents, 25 Walmarts, 10.6% of the population has diabetes, and we Google "hanger" the most.
Our neighbor New Hampshire is a bit less hangry coming in at #16 tied with Wyoming. Massachusetts not far behind them at #23. The least hangry goes to the state of Illinois. To see their full study click here.