Sleep deprived individuals are found to experience loneliness as the areas in the brain related to social interaction shut down.And worse, the feeling may be contagious.
People shown videos of sleep-deprived individuals felt more alienated, suggesting that antisocial feelings are contagious. According to one of the researchers, the less sleep people get, the less they want to socially interact. In turn, other people perceive them as more socially repulsive, further increasing the grave social-isolation impact of sleep loss. This vicious cycle may be a significant contributing factor to the public health crisis that is loneliness.
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