Scientists have finally solved the mystery of why people feel better and more optimistic in the mornings.
According to The Guardian, the finding of the comprehensive study published in the journal BMJ Mental Health revealed that people feel brighter after waking up, concluding that “generally, things do seem better in the morning.
For the study, the researchers analysed the data of the University College London Covid-19 social study that started in March 2020 with monitoring until November 2021 and additional monitoring up to March 2022.
During this time the researchers collected almost 1 million survey responses from nearly 50,000 adults.
Dr Feifei Bu, from UCL’s Department of Behavioural Science and Health, said, “Our findings suggest that on average, people’s mental health and wellbeing are better in the morning and worst at midnight... 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 well-being should take into account the time of day people respond. Mental health support services might consider adjusting resources to match fluctuating needs across the day,” he added.
Furthermore, the researchers noted that people typically felt more positive on weekends as compared to weekdays. They also found that people start their day with the best frame of mind in the morning but end in the worst, at about midnight.
