Experimental Sleep Restriction Blunts Positive Emotions and Aesthetic Experiences When Viewing Artwork

Sleep loss influences basic emotional and cognitive processes, but its impact on higher-order naturalistic cognition, such as aesthetic judgements, is less understood. The current study primarily investigated whether experimental sleep restriction altered aesthetic evaluations of abstract artwork, and secondarily tested whether these evaluations were influenced by stereotypes associated with the listed artist's gender or ethnicity (Caucasian vs. African American). Sixty-eight young adults (M_age = 19.97, 52.94% female, 55.88% non-Caucasian) completed a multi-week, counterbalanced, crossover study under laboratory control. Following an adaptation night, participants completed both a mild sleep restriction condition (1:30 AM-7:00 AM) and a well-rested condition (10:00 PM-07:00 AM). In the morning following the second night of each sleep condition, participants rated 12 abstract paintings, each of which was paired with a fictitious artist's name that was stereotypical of a specific gender (male/female) and ethnicity (Caucasian/African American). No effects or interactions were observed for artist names. Importantly, however, mild sleep restriction decreased ratings of painting likability and beauty. These effects were mediated by sleepiness/alertness and positive mood state. The findings suggest that mild sleep restriction compromises the aesthetic experience of viewing artwork.