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SUMMARY:Sleepless and Alone: The Impact of Sleep Loss on Human Social Beha
 vior - Eti Ben Simon\, The Center for Human Sleep Science\, University of 
 California Berkeley
DTSTART:20241009T140000Z
DTEND:20241009T150000Z
UID:TALK221431@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Yara Kyrychenko
DESCRIPTION:Imagine a world where people are increasingly isolated\, anxio
 us\, and unwilling to help one another. Could something as simple as lack 
 of sleep be contributing to this troubling scenario? Our research suggests
  that insufficient sleep may indeed be reshaping the very fabric of our so
 cieties.\n\nThrough a series of studies\, we've uncovered how sleep loss
 —even in modest amounts—transforms otherwise healthy individuals into 
 lonelier\, more asocial\, and significantly more anxious versions of thems
 elves. By identifying the neural and sleep mechanisms underlying these com
 plex social and emotional impairments\, our work opens new avenues for und
 erstanding and potentially addressing these issues.\n\nThe first set of st
 udies reveals a disturbing cycle: sleep-deprived individuals physically di
 stance themselves from others and report increased feelings of loneliness\
 , leading to greater social withdrawal. This behavior is linked to hyperac
 tivity in parietal brain regions responsible for monitoring personal space
 . Strikingly\, others perceive this social withdrawal and\, in turn\, beco
 me less inclined to interact with sleep-deprived individuals\, creating a 
 self-reinforcing cycle of isolation.\n\nThe second set of studies uncovers
  how sleep loss\, whether acute or chronic\, significantly reduces altruis
 tic behavior. Sleep-deprived individuals were markedly less likely to offe
 r help to others compared to when they were well-rested. Neural imaging sh
 owed decreased activity in key areas of the brain's social cognition netwo
 rk\, known to facilitate prosocial behavior. We even found that losing jus
 t one hour of sleep due to Daylight Saving Time transitions measurably red
 uced real-world charitable donations.\n\nFinally\, our research highlights
  the emotional toll of sleep deprivation. Just one night without sleep led
  to a significant increase in anxiety among healthy young adults. This anx
 iogenic effect correlated with impaired activity in the medial prefrontal 
 cortex and reduced amygdala connectivity. Conversely\, a full night's slee
 p offered anxiety-reducing benefits\, with the amount of slow-wave activit
 y during non-REM sleep serving as a predictor. These findings offer sleep 
 as a potential new therapeutic target for anxiety treatment and underscore
  its causal role in anxiety disorders.\n\nIn conclusion\, inadequate sleep
  emerges as a powerful force shaping human emotional and social behavior. 
 It creates a vicious cycle of emotional dysregulation\, social isolation\,
  and diminished prosocial conduct. Given the essential nature of human soc
 iality in maintaining cooperative\, civil societies—and the reported dec
 line in sufficient sleep across many developed nations—the implications 
 of our findings are urgent and profound.\n
LOCATION:Nick Mackintosch Seminar Room\, Department of Psychology\, Downin
 g Site
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