A recent scientific study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships has revealed a fascinating link between the quality of sleep and the quality of romantic relationships. According to this research, poor sleep can lead to heightened feelings of anger, which in turn has a negative impact on our perceptions of our romantic partnerships.
Sleeplessness is a common occurrence among couples worldwide, whether caused by stress, having young children, or other factors. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a connection between poor sleep and how people perceive their romantic relationships, as well as to explore the role of emotions in this relationship dynamic.
Erica B. Slotter, an associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Villanova University and the study author, stated, “What predicts whether romantic relationships last and are happy and satisfying is something I’ve been interested in my whole career.” She added, “Our romantic bonds are important for both mental and physical well-being. While researchers have learned a lot about individual differences and communication styles that matter for relationships, less attention has been paid to the smaller things that might predict outcomes for relationships – and sleep is one of those ‘smaller things.’ Ongoing sleep deprivation is a serious issue that can impact well-being and is prevalent in American adults.”
Slotter continued, “Even among people who aren’t considered chronically sleep deprived, sleep quality can vary day to day, and certain periods of life, such as new parenthood, are characterized by less quality sleep than others. We were interested in how relatively short-term differences in sleep quality would be related to people’s emotional states and, therefore, their perceptions of their relationship.”
To address this question, the researchers conducted three studies involving various participants, including college students, and individuals in dating and marital relationships.
The first study aimed to examine the association between sleep quality and perceived relationship quality. Data was collected from a sample of 209 non-student adults in romantic relationships, who completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-report questionnaire that assesses sleep quality over the past month. Participants also responded to questions about their overall satisfaction with their romantic relationships. The results of this study showed a significant correlation between poor sleep quality, as indicated by the PSQI, and lower perceived relationship quality. In other words, participants who reported experiencing poor sleep tended to have less positive views of their romantic partnerships.
Building on the findings of the first study, the researchers conducted a second study involving dating and married couples to examine the relationship between changes in sleep quality, anger, and perceived relationship quality over time. The results revealed that changes in sleep quality were associated with changes in general anger, with worse sleep quality predicting increased feelings of anger. The study also found that changes in anger mediated the association between changes in sleep quality and changes in perceived relationship quality. This indicates that fluctuations in anger play a significant role in how changes in sleep quality affect relationship quality.
The third and final study aimed to experimentally induce different emotional states among romantically involved college students. Participants were exposed to various emotional inductions, including anger, distress/sadness, positive affect, and a control condition with no affect manipulation. The results showed that sleep quality had a significant impact on all three affective states across all conditions. Poor sleep was associated with more anger, distress, and less positive affect. Poor sleep seemed to intensify feelings of anger, which in turn led to negative perceptions of romantic relationships.
“In short, getting worse sleep predicted people perceiving that their relationships were worse – they perceived less intimacy, love, satisfaction, trust, passion, and commitment in their relationships,” Slotter explained. “Worse sleep also predicted people feeling angrier – in general, not necessarily towards their partner. Increased feelings of anger accounted for the association between worse sleep and relationship quality. These findings suggest that sleeping less well predicts an increase in irritability and anger, which then leads to a less positive perception of romantic relationships.”
Slotter further elaborated, “Most notably, our second study tracked couples over time, so we’re able to look at how changes in sleep mattered. The effects I mentioned previously were all associated with worse sleep on average, but also worsening sleep over time.”
While this study provides valuable insights, it is important to acknowledge its limitations. Sleep quality was primarily measured through self-reporting, which may not capture the full complexity of sleep patterns. Future research could benefit from incorporating more objective measures of sleep. Furthermore, as Slotter pointed out, the study was correlational, and therefore, it does not establish causation. Additionally, the sample used in this study was limited in terms of its demographic diversity.
This study, titled “Tired, angry, and unhappy with us: Poor sleep quality predicts increased anger and worsened perceptions of relationship quality”, was authored by Alexis Audigier, Sara Glass, Erica B. Slotter, and Elizabeth Pantesco.
