I am not a morning person! I prefer to stay up later and get up later. However after almost 14 years of living with a morning person, my ways have shifted and I rarely stay up too late (midnight or one is usually the latest) and am generally up before eight. And I definitely like to ease into my day. It is one of the reasons why working for myself as opposed to ‘the man’ works best for me.
On a surprising note, I have discovered that I prefer to write in the morning. My thoughts seem clearer and I enjoy the solitude of the project.
This morning while grousing about the overabundance of conversation before I had finished my morning ritual and made it to the coffee pot, I discovered this graphic. Naturally, my first thought was to share it (that’s why I am a social media enthusiast). For the polar opposites who live in my house, this graphic is 100% correct.
The graphic is based on the research of Christopher Randler, a professor of biology at the University of Education in Heidelberg, Germany. You can read more about it in the Harvard Business Review in an article titled “The Early Bird Really Does Get the Worm“. In his research, Randler found the following:
“Though evening people do have some advantages—other studies reveal they tend to be smarter and more creative than morning types, have a better sense of humor, and are more outgoing—they’re out of sync with the typical corporate schedule. When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards. My earlier research showed that they tend to get better grades in school, which get them into better colleges, which then lead to better job opportunities. Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them, my survey showed. They’re proactive. A number of studies have linked this trait, proactivity, with better job performance, greater career success, and higher wages.”
Not surprising genetics plays a significant role in whether you are a morning person or not…yes, you can blame your mother. It seems that about 50% of a person’s chronotype is due to genetics. (According to wikipedia Chronotype is an attribute of human beings, reflecting at what time of the day their physical functions [hormone level, body temperature, cognitive faculties, eating and sleeping] are active, change or reach a certain level.)
In an interview Randler says, ‘People can be trained to alter what we call their “chronotypes,” but only somewhat. In one study, about half of school pupils were able to shift their daily sleep-wake.’ schedules by one hour. But significant change can be a challenge. About 50% of a person’s chronotype is due to genetics.
The real answer for me is don’t talk to me before my first cup of coffee.
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