The breakfast question
The Breakfast Question or How Would You Have Felt If You Hadn't Eaten Breakfast? is a bait question and a counterfactual conditional that references a 4chan story of a grad student who allegedly performed IQ research on convicts at San Quentin State Prison. During the research, individuals with low IQ struggled to simulate the hypothetical situation in their minds, instead answering that they did have breakfast. Online, the question has been used in internet arguments as a conspicuous way to indicate that one's opponent is unintelligent, while the posts have often been referenced in memes.
>How would you have felt yesterday evening if you hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch?
>What do you mean? I did eat breakfast and lunch.
>Yes, but if you had not, how would you have felt?
>Why are you saying that I didn't eat breakfast? I just told you that I did.
>Imagine that you hadn't eaten it, though. How would you have felt?
>I don't understand the question.
> You seem to be failing the breakfast question, mate
>What do you mean? I did eat breakfast and lunch.
>Yes, but if you had not, how would you have felt?
>Why are you saying that I didn't eat breakfast? I just told you that I did.
>Imagine that you hadn't eaten it, though. How would you have felt?
>I don't understand the question.
> You seem to be failing the breakfast question, mate
The breakfast question by bertyhell May 19, 2025
