Lack of sleep increases the risk of feeling anger and negatively impacts our perception of our romantic partner.
Lack of sleep is not only bad for our health, it also puts a strain on our romantic relationships. A study, published in the journal Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, suggests that having a sleep debt leads to increased feelings of anger, which in turn negatively impacts our perception of our partner.
THE lack of sleep increases the feeling of anger
To better understand the impact of fatigue on romantic relationships, researchers at Villanova University conducted a series of three separate studies. In the first, they examined the association between sleep quality and romantic bonding. They asked 209 participants about their nights and their love life through questionnaires. The results revealed a significant association between lack of sleep and a more negative view of the relationship.
In the second part of the research, scientists found that a deterioration in sleep quality was associated with an increase in feelings of anger as well as changes in the perceived quality of romantic relationships.
For the 3rd experiment, the team experimentally induced different emotional states in 218 students such as anger, distress sadness and positive emotions. The volunteers then had to imagine their reaction to events related to the induced emotional state. The data collected show that sleep quality had a significant effect on the three affective states (anger, distress and positive feeling). People who did not get enough sleep felt more anger, more distress and less positive affect than others. In other words, poor quality sleep can influence our emotional states, including anger. And these can have an impact on the perception of our relationship.
There quality of sleep also impacts our relationships in love
“In short, poorer sleep predicted that people perceived their relationships as worse: they perceived less intimacy, love, satisfaction, trust, passion and commitment in their relationships”has explained Erica b. slotterauthor of the study and professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Villanova University during a interview given to PsyPost.
“Lack of sleep also predicted that people felt more angry, in general, not necessarily just towards their partner. Increased feelings of anger explain the association between poorer sleep and relationship quality. Taken together, these results suggest that sleeping less well predicts that we feel more irritable and angry. Which then leads us to feel less positive about our romantic relationships“, adds the expert.
Thus, this work highlights the importance of sleep not only for our physical health, but also for our emotional well-being and our relationships with our partner.
