Previous research has shown that sleep deprivation can increase the risk of accidents and interpersonal conflicts. The current study adds to this body of work by demonstrating that lack of sleep also affects our ability to accurately read others’ emotions.
This is essential information for anyone trying to maintain healthy relationships, as well as for employers who want their employees to be able to cooperate with one another effectively.
For the study, researchers used eye-tracking to examine how acute sleep loss affects how humans explore and evaluate happy, fearful, angry, and neutral faces. This sensory technology can detect what a person is looking at in real time. A total of 45 participants were enrolled in the study, all of whom were required to spend one night with no sleep and one with an eight-hour sleep opportunity. After both nights, the participants had their eye movements measured.
Researchers found that sleep-deprived participants rated angry faces as less trustworthy and healthy-looking. Neutral and fearful faces were seen as less attractive. These findings indicated that sleep loss is associated with more negative social impressions of others, resulting in less motivation to interact socially.
“When sleep deprived, our research subjects spent less time fixating on faces. Since facial expressions are crucial to understanding the emotional state of others, spending less time fixating on faces after acute sleep loss may increase the risk that you interpret the emotional state of others inaccurately or too late,” said Lieve van Egmond, first author.
Lack of Sleep
As this study shows, the consequences of a lack of sleep can be more severe than merely tiredness and diminished performance the next day. A night of proper sleep supports the ability to maintain a healthy body weight, blood sugar level, cardiovascular health, and mood. A lack of sleep can have a devastating impact on your health, including your motivation to interact socially
Sleep Sure Plus is designed to help promote optimal sleep and restfulness through a variety of ingredients. One of the most important ingredients included in this unique formula is melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is essential for the regulation of the circadian rhythm (the internal clock of the body). Sleep Sure Plus contains valerian, one of the best natural ingredients for promoting rest and relaxation. These two essential ingredients are joined by another 6, which all work together to provide a better quality of sleep.