Sleep deprivation can make humans selfish: study

A recent study published in the journal PLOS Biology has shown that sleeplessness can affect people's behaviour.

While it is a well-known fact that sleep affects many aspects of health, including skin, hair, and weight, a recent study by the University of California shows that a lack of sleep can make people selfish.

Researchers conducted three studies to analyse the "selfish" effects and studied changes in neural activity.

Scientists found that even a little loss of sleep, like an hour, could influence people's decision to help others, reported CNN.

They told the news outlet that people lose "innate human kindness" with loss of sleep.

Who knew effects of sleep deprivation could go this far?

Studying a database of 3 million charitable donations, experts observed a 10% drop in funding after the introduction of  Daylight Saving Time.

When scientists studied the neural networks of people with and without eight hours of sleep, they found that the areas of the brain associated with prosocial behaviours were less active following sleep deprivation.

In a third study, they also found that quality of sleep mattered even more than its quantity. Therefore, both factors affect emotional and social behaviour.