You may have heard it from your mother or even grandmother that you should get your beauty rest. It turns out that idea is real, and actually works.
A new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science has found that a lack of sleep will do more than make you tired — it can make you less attractive to others. Researchers took separate photographs of 25 people, after two days of not getting enough sleep, and the other was after getting a good night’s sleep. The pictures were shown to 122 people to rate how much they would like to socialize with the study participants. They were also asked to rate participants’ attractiveness, health, sleepiness, and trustworthiness.
Here’s what they discovered: People were less inclined to want to socialize with those who hadn’t gotten enough sleep. Not only that, but when people were tired, they were rated as less attractive and less healthy than when they were well rested.
Given that recent polls show more than 40-percent of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep, this study is particularly troublesome. Researchers say the results may show an evolutionary response. It may be that our minds are subconsciously weeding out potential mates who look unhealthy.
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