Do you really know? Why does not getting enough sleep make you selfish?
Mar 3, 2025
Lack of sleep can leave you feeling groggy, but it might also make you more selfish. Research from UC Berkeley shows that even losing just an hour can reduce your generosity. Participants who tracked their sleep reported less willingness to help others in various scenarios. This connection between sleep deprivation and decreased altruism highlights the crucial role of quality sleep for both mental health and social connections.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Sleep and Selfishness
- Sleep deprivation reduces generosity, even losing one hour impacts empathy.
- Studies show poor sleep quality correlates with significantly less generous behavior.
Daylight Saving and Donations
- Researchers tracked US charitable donations around daylight saving time changes.
- They found a 10% drop in donations after the time shift, linking sleep loss to reduced altruism.
Widespread Sleep Deprivation Impact
- Insufficient sleep, impacting over half of developed nations, may have broad consequences.
- This includes decreased empathy, adding to known mental and physical health risks like anxiety, depression, diabetes, and obesity.