The old adage that things are always better in the morning may be true, at least according to a comprehensive new study.
Scientists analyzed nearly one million survey responses from almost 50,000 adults over two years to determine whether the year, season, day, or even time of day was linked to variations in mental health, happiness, life satisfaction, sense of life being worthwhile, and loneliness.
The researchers found that people tend to be happier just after waking up than in the evenings.
Happiness, life satisfaction, and worthwhile ratings were also found to be higher on Mondays and Fridays compared to Sundays, while joy was also higher on Tuesdays. The researchers, however, did not find any meaningful variation in loneliness throughout the week.
The study also noted the fluctuation in mood by season, with lower levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness recorded outside of winter. Across all outcomes, mental health was highest in the summer.
Mood swings throughout the day may be linked to physiological changes that occur with the body clock.
“For example, cortisol [a hormone responsible for regulating mood, fear, and motivation] typically peaks shortly after waking and decreases throughout the day, with the lowest levels between 8:00pm and 4:00am,” read the study.
The researchers suspect the difference between weekdays and weekends could be prompted by the variation in the sequence of daily events. Of course, for many people, weekends bring a break from a long work week.
Dr Feifei Bu, from UCL’s Department of Behavioural Science and Health, says more work needs to be done to verify the differences exposed by the study. One potential issue with the surveys, says Bu, is that they may reflect when people decide to respond instead.
The results “could reflect when people choose to respond to the survey, rather than a direct effect of time of day,” said Bu.
“For example, those already feeling better in the morning might be more likely to engage with the survey at that time.”
“While these findings are intriguing, they need to be replicated in other studies that fully account for this potential bias… If validated, this could have important practical implications. Researchers investigating people’s mental health and wellbeing should take into account the time of day people respond,” said Bu, per The Guardian.