Loss of sleep reduces individuals' willingness to assist others, research reveals
Re-written Article:
Snoozing is crucial, and skipping those ZZZs could lead to more than just grumpy mornings – it's linked to an increased risk of physical and mental health problems.
A recent study published in PLOS Biology suggests that not only does sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality impact your physical and mental health, but it might also reduce your desire to lend a helping hand.
"It's high time we stop treating sleep as an unnecessary luxury and start prioritizing it, not only for our personal well-being but for the sake of our fellow humans," says Dr. Eti Ben Simon, a sleep researcher at the University of California, Berkeley and co-author of the study.*
The Connection Between Sleep and Helping Others
While the relationship between sleep and prosocial behaviors wasn't entirely clear, this study and others point to some compelling links.
Poor sleep can disrupt emotional processing, which could potentially diminish our willingness to help others. It can also lead to decreased activity in brain regions responsible for prosocial actions and empathy.*
The researchers conducted three experiments to examine the effects of sleep on helping behavior at various levels: individual, group, and societal.*
Participants who were deprived of sleep showed a decline in their inclination to help others compared to those who had adequate rest.*
This decline in helping behavior was still apparent even after accounting for other factors impacted by sleep deprivation, such as attention, motivation, and mood.*
The researchers also used brain scans to detect changes in brain regions connected to empathy and social cognition during sleep deprivation.*
Sleep deprivation was associated with reduced activity in these critical brain areas while participants performed social tasks.*
"This study further demonstrates the significant costs of poor sleep hygiene on our society," says Dr. David Dickinson, PhD, a sleep researcher and professor of economics at Appalachian State University, who wasn't involved in the study.*
"Showing the negative impacts of insufficient sleep on giving behaviors is essential because such behaviors contribute to social capital, which can have a ripple effect in an economy."
- Dr. David Dickinson, PhD, sleep researcher and economics professor
Variations in Sleep Quality Affect Helping Behavior
Although sleep deprivation doesn't occur daily, variations in sleep quality can still influence our willingness to help others.*
Researchers found that a decline in sleep quality, measured by the fraction of time spent sleeping out of the total time spent in bed, was associated with a lower desire to help others.*
Interestingly, the researchers didn't find a link between the total amount of sleep and helping behavior.*
This suggests that even after achieving a minimum amount of sleep, sleep quality may play a more significant role in determining our willingness to help others.*
Less Sleep Means Less Donations
The researchers' third experiment focused on the real-world impact of sleep loss on helping behavior at a national level.*
Results showed a reduction in donation amounts during the transition to daylight savings time, which likely represents the loss of a single hour of sleep.*
These findings suggest that even small alterations in our sleep patterns could have significant consequences on our prosocial behaviors.*
Final Thoughts
While this study is the first to establish a connection between sleep and helping behavior, future research is needed to better understand this relationship.*
Cultural factors and personality traits might also influence a person's inclination to help, making it difficult to quantify their impact.*
Ultimately, promoting good sleep hygiene and ensuring enough rest at night could help improve prosocial behaviors and encourage more charitable donations.*
"This study highlights the potential negative consequences of poor sleep on helping behavior, reinforcing the importance of prioritizing sleep for our overall well-being and social interaction," says Dr. Rohit Budhiraja, director of the Sleep and Circadian Disorders Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital.*
"While the study's methodology prevents a complete exclusion of other factors as potential confounders, the findings still provide significant evidence for the need to prioritize good sleep."
- Dr. Rohit Hudhiraja, director of the Sleep and Circadian Disorders Clinic at Brigham and Women's Hospital
"This study indicates that poor sleep quality, in addition to sleep deprivation, might decrease our eagerness to help others due to disruptions in emotional processing and reduced activity in brain regions responsible for empathy and prosocial actions."
"Moreover, variations in sleep quality can influence our willingness to assist others, suggesting that even slight changes in sleep patterns could have significant impacts on our prosocial behaviors, such as charitable donations."
