Sleep Disruption as an Amplifier of Aggressive Behavior

Iowa State University, Ames IA

Investigators

Abstract

It is vitally important to understand what leads to aggressive behavior, given the negative impact of aggression on individuals, relationships, and society. While research has documented some eliciting conditions that can precipitate aggressive behavior, there has been little attention paid to the role that a lack of sleep may play in modulating aggression. Proper sleep is a pre-requisite for optimal social and emotional functioning and sleep disruption is increasingly common; however, the role it plays in social behaviors such as aggression is largely unknown. This project will test a novel theoretical model, which posits that sleep restriction can cause increases in aggressive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The research will elucidate important social consequences of sleep restriction, test whether the effects are driven by changes in cognitive functioning, and ultimately illuminate how sleep disruption contributes to impaired social adjustment and behavioral problems. The proposed research will test how emotional, cognitive, and self-control responses to sleep restriction may contribute to aggressive behavior. Participants will be randomly assigned to either follow their regular sleep routines or to restrict their sleep by 4 hours over two working days. Afterwards, they will return to the laboratory where their emotional and behavioral responding will be examined. A series of experiments will examine potential consequences of sleep restriction on different measures of anger, hostility, and aggressive responding, as well as cognitive abilities to plan and reason. This research will enable novel linkages of well-established neurobehavioral effects of sleep disruption to complex emotions and social behavior. Ultimately, given that sleep is a modifiable risk factor, a better theoretical and process-based understanding of how aggression is affected by sleep disturbance will enable more effective intervention strategies for individuals at-risk for aggressive behavior (e.g., offenders) and for social institutions motivated to reduce aggressive behavior (e.g., schools).