There are a lot of reasons to sleep sufficiently and avoid an accumulated sleep debt. The findings of an American study published in the journal “Sleep” show an important reason for that, especially for people in responsible positions who have to make decisions accordingly. Besides previous knowledge, a lack of sleep reduces the ability to take emotions into consideration, according to the study. These findings especially concern overstressed people who sleep too less because of their profession and still have to make important decisions.
For their study, the scientists confronted 26 people with three confliction situations in which they had to evaluate different actions – one time well rested, one time after 53 hours of sleep deprivation. The situations brought the participants in different predicaments, like, should they let one person die to save the life of other people. The result: although the participants would not have acted less morally after sleep deprivation, it took them two seconds longer to answer morally complex questions. Questions without any moral component showed no delay. Under sleep deprivation, the participants showed slightly different changes in regard to their estimation of a certain situation. Especially eye-catching were the changes with people who did poorly in previous emotional intelligence tests. The scientists assume, that persons with a lower emotional competence are especially vulnerable to the consequences of sleep deprivation.
The study is importantinsofar , because, the participants were directly confronted with confliction situations. From experience, emotional decisions are the most difficult situations we human beings can be in. Especially affected are people with too less sleep and still have to make important decisions. They might find it hard to come to a right decision.
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