The Citi Never Sleeps: Sleep Deprivation Makes You Stupid

Posted by John Carney, May 22, 2008, 11:42am

Citigroup might want to rethink its insomniac slogan. Although the "Citi Never Sleeps" slogan is meant to convey a sense of never-ending vigilance, a new study shows that sleep deprivation leads to a loss of attentiveness and interferes with visual processing.

The study, which will be published in the Journal of Neuroscience, shows that losing only one night's sleep has a dramatic effect on the brain, making it prone to short, sudden shutdowns. The study suggests that sleep-deprived people alternate between periods of near-normal brain function and dramatic lapses in attention and visual processing.

"It's as though it is both asleep and awake and they are switching between each other very rapidly," said David Dinges of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "Imagine you are sitting in a room watching a movie with the lights on. In a stable brain, the lights stay on all the time. In a sleepy brain, the lights suddenly go off."

Losing just one night's sleep makes brain prone to 'sudden shutdowns' [Evening Standard]

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Posted in: Banking Culture, Citigroup

Comments

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 11:59AM

Please use ShittyPoop from now on when referring to this company

Posted by Anal_yst, May 22, 2008 12:03PM

In other news, the sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, yadda yadda etc etc

Posted by a dead horse, May 22, 2008 12:46PM

Pandit just sent out an all-hands internal memo announcing the slogan has been changed to "Citi gets eight hours of sleep every night"

Posted by FirstYearBKR, May 22, 2008 1:01PM

"Imagine you are sitting in a room watching a movie with the lights on. In a stable brain, the lights stay on all the time. In a sleepy brain, the lights suddenly go off."

I don't know about you guys but I usually prefer to have the lights off when watching a movie.

B-school students learn both the positive and negative sides to staying awake for extended periods of time very early on. After getting it down to a science with four years of practice I find certain tasks easier when you are, as they say, 'both asleep and awake at the same time.' You're completely focused, the learning curve shortens further since there are no extended breaks between work, and the finished product shows consistency since the train of thought is never interrupted.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 1:01PM

Because if the lights are off I can't see a movie on my television?

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 1:05PM

it took you 4 years to finish b-school? did the short bus take you there every day?

Posted by FirstYearBKR, May 22, 2008 1:14PM

@ 1:05pm - Maybe because it was undergrad b-school? 5-year dual degree program in 4 years? Not bad if I do say so myself.

Don't be so quick on the trigger buddy.

Posted by big r, May 22, 2008 1:17PM

aww look, his tag says first year banker. so tell me, how is wachovia's analyst program?

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 1:22PM

@1.14-- very nice, you're now half as qualified as the 50,000 who just got laid off

go back to iowa and plow your donkey's butt

Posted by FirstYearBKR, May 22, 2008 1:42PM

1:17pm: Thanks, I just half-smiled for the first time today.

I didn't apply to work with any domestic banks. With globalization becoming the norm they'll all be swallowed up or offshored to India soon enough.

Training was completed a long time ago. But thanks for asking.

1:22pm: Second half-smile of the day (that makes a whole smile). I have managed to avoid getting laid off. I sense that some people here haven't been so fortunate.

May I suggest stepping back and asking yourself why that was the only comment you could think of? Unless you're a bored student killing time between classes I think you may need quit relying on your unemployment checks, put down the bong, stop spending your whole day sitting home making 'anonymous' comments, and go make something of yourself.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 1:46PM

"I didn't apply to work with any domestic banks. "

aka you werent good enough for GS MS LEH ML JPM and settled for UBS,CS,DB

congrats on mediocracy.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 1:49PM

@1.42--aawwww...did I touch a nerve? Oh right, you're probably touching your own nerve quickly, depending upon Mom's d/l speed for streaming porno!

btw, congrats on showing your own clown-self from your comments. I enjoy your thoughtful insights. (also, working for a bank on LI doesnt count as an int'l abnk)

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 1:56PM

FirstYearBKR, go grab me a cappuccino and with 2 sugars ASAP…..

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 2:07PM

but aren't GS MS LEH et al. leading the globalization charge...is there a foreign bank that comes close in terms of prestige? Not sure of logic behind the choice not to apply to 'domestic' banks. Also, I'll have a sanka.

Posted by FirstYearBKR, May 22, 2008 2:09PM

We have admin assistants who do that stuff. I'll make sure to put in your drink order when I have a minute.

I sense some jealousy and I'd love to stay since this is getting to be really entertaining but I have a few things to attend to this afternoon. I wish you all the best in your respective job searches.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 2:13PM

Yes, GS MS LEH etc. are global operations. Apparently 1:46 has been laid off and out of work for quite some time.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 2:14PM

no jealousy re: you're strategic choice of working for a foreign bank (Credit Agricole? Forefront of globalization...) just hoping to be enlightened as to the reasoning. I am sure your undergrad business classes were full of information about our new flat world.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 2:28PM

The kid's got a point. I'm sure many comments in recent months were left by displaced employees who lost their jobs to offshoring/mergers/etc. It's OK to be a little envious; the fresh meat always gives old-schoolers a run for their money. It all comes down to whether your company values the little guys who do the actual work or the mid/upper-level managers who demand more pay but spend their days answering some phone calls and going to a few meetings. I'm the latter, and enjoy the lopsided workload very much.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 2:36PM

@firstyear--after you pick up my dry cleaning (and get the coffee orders in), I will allow you to attend a client meeting. Maybe. Now, run along little jedi before I give your job to a stripper I met last night who had some sweet implants.

Posted by guest, May 22, 2008 2:48PM

1st year, please never ever refer to a 4 year degree in business as Business School. Ever. No, stop it. Ever. And you are not a banker, you are an analyst. You will not be a banker for a long time, probably never.

Now go get your shinebox and get to work.

Posted by guest, May 23, 2008 7:44PM

Wow. No wonder the banks are in trouble. People like all of you are working there.

Posted by guest, May 24, 2008 11:27AM

the citi that never CHEAPS

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