Hungry + Angry = Hangry; in other words, being hungry makes you mad. The word has been around, sort of, since 1992, but it has really taken off in the past few years. Still, there’s an ongoing debate in our office about “hanger.”  Is it a real thing, or just an excuse for bad behavior? From first-hand experience, I’d say that it is very real. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Science supports it. And, perhaps just as important, pop culture and social media have jumped on the hangry bandwagon.

Several studies have shown that low blood sugar can cause people to become irritable, aggressive and downright angry. Adrenaline is also a key factor. It releases into your bloodstream as a “fight or flight” response to hunger, and voila – just like that you go from Bruce Banner to Incredible Hulk (with little to no warning).

If there were any doubt that many of us relate to hangry (and I’m glad I’m not the only one), consider the fact that large brands are cashing in on it.

Take Snickers. Their “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” commercials are genius. The ad that ran during Super Bowl 2016, where an irritable Willem Dafoe transforms into Marilyn Monroe after eating a Snickers, is one of my favorites. Another hangry commercial, which debuted during Super Bowl 2015, featured Snoop Dogg narrating and Gilbert Gottfried screaming at a pickle jar for Eat 24, Yelp’s online food delivery service. Jack Link’s Jerky also has a series of hangry commercials (along with the hashtag #hangryhacks), one of which commercial shows a woman throwing a fit when her colleagues aren’t paying attention to her presentation.

Then, of course, there’s social media. On Instagram, there are more than a dozen hashtags dedicated to hangry, and #hangry and #hangryproblems are extremely popular searches on Facebook.

Will we see another hangry commercial during Super Bowl 2017? Only time will tell, but until then, snack often – avoid hanger.