Thelack of sleep encourages risky decisionsforover-optimism, as concluded by a study by the Duke University Medical Center in Durham (United States) published in the journalJournal of Neuroscience.
Using magnetic resonance imaging in 29 healthy adult volunteers, the scientists showed that a sleepless night produces increased brain activity in regions that test positive for results, as well as less activation in areas of the brain that process negative results. As a consequence, in the experimentsindividuals who had been sleep deprived in the study tended to make decisions that emphasized financial gainand they were less likely to choose those that reduced losses.
Previous studies have shown that lack of sleep impairs decision-making ability, but this is the first research to reveal thatlack of sleep can change the way the brain estimates financial valuesregardless of its effects on attention, in addition toincrease sensitivity to positive rewards.
According to Michael Chee, head of the study, “even if someone makes very risky and sound financial decisions after a normal night’s sleep, there is no guarantee that this same person will not expose you to an unfortunate risk if they have not had enough sleep.” Chee explains that, for example, there is empirical evidence that excessive working hours for resident physicians leads to a higher number of accidents. “I think it is essential that society as a whole grasps the data generated on the detrimental effects of lack of sleep and assess whether we should continue to do things the old way,” concludes the researcher.
