What Is 'The Breakfast Question?' How Should You Answer This Viral Conditional?

There is a viral bait question floating around the internet right now, and you might have been asked it already without even knowing. It's called The Breakfast Question and its exact setup is, "How would you have felt if you hadn't eaten breakfast?"

Before you answer it, think about what you're saying. There's a large part of the web that might judge you differently based on what you say.

Confused about what this absurd phenomenon is and why it's relevant? Let's explain.

What Is The Answer To 'The Breakfast Question?'

As stated, the Breakfast Question is, "How would you have felt if you hadn't eaten breakfast?" In dictionary terms, this type of question is a conditional, which means, it poses a hypothetical situation that the answerer must imagine themselves in.

To reveal the right answer to the question, let's first discuss some of the wrong answers. Don't say, "But I did have breakfast this morning," because that would mean that you didn't understand the hypothetical nature of the question.

The right answer to the Breakfast Question is any answer that acknowledges its status as a hypothetical. For instance, a right answer would be, "I would feel tired," or, "I would feel hungry," or, "I would feel excited for lunch." All of these answers are correct.

Where Did 'The Breakfast Question' Come From?

To understand why the Breakfast Question is a relevant question, you'd have to go back to its origin and where it was first asked. The story behind the Breakfast Question started on 4chan within an objectively problematic thread on the infamous /pol/ imageboard.

The original poster purportedly performed IQ research on convicts at San Quentin State Prison sometime before 2021. They stated that they asked the Breakfast Question to gauge the intelligence of individual inmates. In turn, the inmates with low IQ scores would say, "But I had breakfast this morning," not understanding the conditional nature of the question.

How Is 'The Breakfast Question' Used In Memes?

Ever since the question's notorious origin, it's been referenced in memes similar to other "bait" questions like "Do you know Ligma?" or "What's the shape of Italy?" among other questions that are meant to trick and deceive. Of course, the memes play on the innocence of the viewer, trying to expose them as unintelligent.

For the full history of The Breakfast Question, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.