No one likes to hear “You look tired,” but most people acknowledge that a lack of sleep does nothing for
appearances. And if a lack of sleep can sink attractiveness, might good sleep boost beauty?
A recent article in the Huffington Post explores the link by way of a new study from researchers at the Medical Institute Karolinska in Stockholm, Sweden. The study “the effects of sleep restriction on attractiveness and social desirability” was presented at the 21st Congress of European Sleep Research Society in Paris.
As it turns out, lack of sleep not only affects attractiveness but also approachability. According to the experiment, sleeping four hours a night—or not at all—wouldn’t make any difference. In both cases, individuals appeared equally exhausted.
But beyond appearance, the study reveals that lack of sleep repels those you meet or socialize with. Two years ago, the identical scientific team determined that even though people “are not conscious about it, we are generally able to detect if other people have been sleep deprived. At that time, the study established a link between perceived beauty and sleep deprivation.”
“Our first experiment has shown that people are perceived differently when they have been deprived of sleep, the second one shows that on top of that people just don’t want to socialize with sleep-deprived people,” said Dr. John Axelsson of the Karolinska Institutet Medical University, Stockholm. “So, if you don’t feel desirable or charming, or even if you feel ugly or socially excluded, don’t wait for the Prince, and have a good night of sleep.”
Christopher Bonsa Staff Writer
