Paying Teenagers Improves Sleep and Grades in New Study

Is forcing a grumpy teenager into bed an impossible task? Scientists say paying them might be the answer. A team from the University of Pittsburgh tested this idea with more than 1,100 students averaging nineteen years old. Those who received about £3.50 each time they managed seven hours of sleep on a weeknight saw their rest improve. They dozed for roughly nineteen minutes longer per night over the month-long trial. That extra rest came from going to bed earlier, not waking up later in the morning. The study appeared in the Journal of Political Economy.

Academic results climbed too. On an American four-point GPA scale where 4.0 means straight As, grades rose by about 0.08 points on average. Some benefits lasted even after the cash stopped flowing. Participants continued sleeping slightly longer for several weeks post-treatment. Lead author Osea Giuntella told The Conversation that immediate financial rewards help students hit a seven-hour sleep goal, with effects persisting up to a month beyond payments.

Before the experiment started, the average student slept just 6.6 hours nightly. Half regularly stayed awake until after 1am. Those offered nightly payments reached their seven-hour target on twenty-six per cent more nights than peers who got no money. Other tactics like bedtime reminders and morning feedback made little difference.