Have you ever noticed that people on diets are really crabby? While many might blame low blood sugar or a general lack of pleasure (rice cakes, cabbage soup — ugh!), recent psychological research suggests that it’s actually the exercise of self-control that leads people to become irritable and aggressive at inappropriate times.
The prevailing theory is that because self-control is a finite resource, when you deplete it — say by consistently choosing carrots over cupcakes or by refraining from splurging at the shoe store — you’re less likely to be able to control urges toward anger or aggression when they arise at inappropriate times.
“Research has shown that exerting self-control makes people more likely to behave aggressively toward others, and people on diets are known to be irritable and quick to anger,” said researchers David Gal, an assistant professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and Wendy Liu, an assistant professor of marketing at the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego, in a statement.
Full story: The cranky dieter explained: How self-control makes you angry