Being A Happy Morning Person Isn’t A Myth! Study Shows People Are Happier In The Morning

Night owls always claim that nobody can be happy waking up early! While sleeping in does feel good, morning people have a routine they must follow like getting their chores done before work, exercising etc., it almost feels like the day is longer when you wake up early. While for some people waking up early is a necessity, some others chose to enjoy an early and nice morning before they start their day! Many studies have shown that waking up early does help regulate your body and fix a lot of physical issues you may be having like fatigue, digestion etc. But does waking up early fix your mood too? Many people have noticed how morning people seem a lot more cheerful and lively than the ones who choose to sleep in as much as possible. And studies show that this isn’t a coincidence, waking up early in the morning does help lift your moods!

Sorry night owls but turns out that most people are at their happiest and most positive in the morning. Researchers found that folks generally wake up feeling pretty good, with more happiness and satisfaction about their lives. They also tend to have less of those down feelings like depression and anxiety first thing in the day. This might seem surprising since mornings are often rushed, but our bodies are naturally primed for a better mood after we wake up. It's good news, even if you're not a "morning person," your brain is likely working at its best! This research helps us understand how our feelings change throughout the day.

Connection Between The Internal Clock And Mood

The study published in BMJ Mental Health suggests that most people experience their peak mental and emotional wellbeing in the morning. While mornings are generally good, the study also found that things tend to take a turn for the worse around midnight. That's when people report feeling the least happy and satisfied, and the most anxious or down. It seems our internal clock plays a big role in our emotions. Just like we have a natural sleep-wake cycle, we also have a kind of emotional cycle that goes up and down throughout the day.

While you may think that the day of the week matters, the study shows it doesn’t have much impact on our mood, so feeling Monday morning blues is almost like you’re telling yourself to feel bad because it is Monday. Seasons, however, have a much bigger impact. Winter can be tough, with people reporting higher levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and lower levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Summer, on the other hand, seems to be the best time for mental well-being. This could be because of the weather, more sunlight, or just the general feeling of summer. It's a good reminder that our mental health can be affected by this time of year.

How Did The Study Find This?

To figure all this out, researchers looked at data from over 49,000 people who took part in a study about the COVID-19 pandemic. We all know that being couped up at home for two long years did a number on people and their mental health. Researchers asked people how happy and satisfied they were, and how worthwhile they felt their lives were. The cool part is that each survey had a time stamp, so the researchers could see how people's answers changed throughout the day. This lets them track mood changes and see the morning happiness peak and the midnight low. This large-scale study gives us a really good picture of how time of day and season affects people's mental well-being.

While it may be difficult to wake up early when you first start, you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn, try doing it an hour earlier and move it further if you feel like it. You also have to make sure you end your day at the appropriate time and not stay awake too long because you will tire your body out quickly. To motivate yourself to do better you can also try to add activities like meditation and exercising.