Why do people brag about getting little sleep, according to Chris Barnes?

Chris Barnes's research finds two routes to status from bragging about sleep deprivation. Colleagues may see the bragger as strong, or as self-sacrificing for the group. The routes split by gender: men who brag are seen as stronger, while women who brag are seen as more self-sacrificing. Barnes says the status gain is real enough to explain the habit but is self-defeating in the long run, given the harm that short sleep does to work.

• Shankar Vedantam notes that high-status people in American culture often claim to need little sleep.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Hidden Brain (2026-10-19). Read the whole episode summary →

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