Scientists Not enough sleep makes us unattractive for our fellow human beings

How does sleep affect our attractiveness??
Surely most people have already heard the following saying: Man needs enough beauty sleep. Researchers have now found that adequate sleep can actually have an impact on perceived attractiveness.

The researchers of the Karolinska Institute found in their study that insufficient sleep makes people less attractive to other people. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Royal Society Open Science journal".

Sleep is important for human health. However, too little sleep also affects our attractiveness. Strangers do not value people who are not well-off as less attractive and want to socialize less often with those affected. (Image: elnariz / fotolia.com)

Tired people are classified as less healthy and accessible
If people do not sleep enough for a few nights, they will look uglier on other people, say the experts. For this effect are already some nights with too little sleep sufficient. Dark circles and swollen eyelids can even mean that other people do not want to socialize with those affected. Affected people were classified as less healthy and accessible by strangers due to their tired appearance.

Physicians check sleep of subjects
Participants in the study were equipped with a device that recorded their nocturnal exercise habits. So the researchers wanted to find out how the subjects really slept. Participants were then asked to sleep well for two consecutive nights.

Experts take pictures of the tired subjects
A week later, the subjects were then only four hours a night to sleep. Also, this shortened sleep time should be maintained for two consecutive nights. The scientists took make-up-free photos of the volunteers, both after good and bad sleep.

Strangers had to rate participants' photos for their attractiveness
Next, 122 foreign women and men were asked to look at the photos and then rate them for attractiveness, health, drowsiness, and trustworthiness. The strangers considered tired and sleepy-looking people to be more unattractive, and the viewers of the photos did not want to socialize with the weary participants, the study's authors explain.

Protects detected mechanism from diseases?
The findings are evolutionarily quite useful, the scientists explain. An unhealthy-looking face, whether through sleep deprivation or otherwise, could, for example, activate disease-avoiding mechanisms in humans. In other words, people do not want to have anything to do with people who make a sick impression on them.

Sleep is important for our health and attractiveness
The judgment about perceived attractiveness is often unconscious. But even small clues as to whether a person is tired or unhealthy are noticed by humans, the doctors say. The results of her study are a good reminder of how important sleep is for humans. (As)