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Larks are happier than owls.
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Night owls often wake up sleep-deprived for work or school, while early birds wake up 15 minutes earlier. However, early birds aren't more alert just because the sun is up; they're happier and more satisfied with their lives overall, a new study suggests.
In teenagers, night owl tendencies fade as they age and schooling imposes a morning-oriented schedule, which may explain why older adults are happier than younger people. "Previous research has suggested that early birds are happier than night owls, and that study was done on middle-aged people," says researcher Renee Biss, a graduate student at the University of Toronto.
The new study is looking at people across their entire lives to see if their morning habits are linked to their overall life pattern. The researchers looked at two groups: a group of 435 people aged 17 to 38, and a group of 297 people aged 59 to 79. Both groups filled out questionnaires about their emotional state, how healthy they were, and what time of day they preferred.
By age 60, most people are early birds, scientists have found. Only about 7 percent of young people are early birds, but as we age, that switches — only 7 percent of older people are still night owls.
"We found that older people experienced significantly more positive emotions than younger people, and the former were significantly more likely to be early risers than the latter," says Bies.
Prepared based on materials from WordScience.org.
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