Mice willing to sacrifice sleep for social interaction, research says

Researchers at the University of Michigan have made a discovery that highlights the similarity between the behavior of mice and humans: both species can sacrifice sleep for the sake of social contact, the Current Biology portal reported.

This discovery was made as a result of monitoring the sleep of mice, which, as it turned out, prefer to sleep next to their fellows, following the internal demand for physical contact, reported Planet Today.

In the course of this research, scientists found out that mice, like humans, prefer to sleep with close individuals, despite the inconvenience. They snuggle up to each other at rest, reflecting their desire for social bonds even at rest.

Although this desire for physical contact causes discomfort, since each awakened rodent could awaken the others, this did not prevent them from following this internal motivation.

One of the researchers, Dr. Stephen Hughes, said this discovery demonstrates the deep roots of the human need for social connection, and the observing of mice can help to better understand human social behavior and even develop strategies to improve sleep in people with social problems.