A research team from the University of California, Berkeley, have reported that people who get insufficient sleep feel lonelier and don’t mingle with others. These sleep-deprived individuals also seem to be socially unattractive to others. These findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Matthew Walker, the study author and a UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience, said "We humans are a social species. Yet sleep deprivation can turn us into social lepers. The less sleep you get, the less you want to socially interact. In turn, other people perceive you as more socially repulsive, further increasing the grave social-isolation impact of sleep loss. That vicious cycle may be a significant contributing factor to the public health crisis that is loneliness."

The national surveys reported that nearly half of all Americans feel lonely. The feeling of loneliness also increases the risk of mortality by more than 45 percent which is double the mortality risk associated with obesity.

Walker concluded, "This all bodes well if you sleep the necessary seven to nine hours a night, but not so well if you continue to short-change your sleep; On a positive note, just one night of good sleep makes you feel more outgoing and socially confident, and furthermore, will attract others to you."