Short and long sleeper prototypes: Perceptions of sleep duration and personality traits

Abstract

Few studies have examined how short and long sleepers are perceived. Using the prototype willingness model as a conceptual framework, we assessed estimates of sleep duration and perceptions of personality characteristics associated with short and long sleepers. Participants (N = 977) in an online study of sleep-related beliefs and habits were randomly assigned to either a short or long sleeper prototype condition. Participants provided estimates of sleep duration, ratings of Big Five personality traits, and qualitative descriptors for the typical short (or long) sleeper. Sociodemographic factors and self-reported sleep duration were also assessed. Sleep duration estimates differed for the short (M = 6.2, SD = 1.35 hours) versus long sleeper prototype (M = 7.62, SD = 1.33 hours), t(941) = -16.24, p < .001, g = 1.06, and were moderated by participant age, gender, social status, and self-reported sleep duration. Short sleepers were perceived as less conscientious, open-minded, extraverted, and agreeable, and as higher on negative emotionality, than long sleepers. Several of the differences in personality ratings of short versus long sleepers were moderated by social status or self-reported sleep duration. These data suggest that individuals hold distinct images of short and long sleepers which encompass different personality traits. Learning more about how sleeper prototypes are formed, and how they relate to sleep health behaviors, may be useful for sleep measurement, education, and intervention efforts.

Keywords

• Short sleeper
• Long sleeper
• Sleep duration
• Social perception
• Social status
• Personality traits