The early bird may not always get the worm, at least when it comes to cognitive performance. A study from Imperial College London suggests that night owls — those who feel more alert and productive in the evening — tend to outperform their early-rising counterparts on brain tests.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 26,000 participants and found evening people scored up to 13.5 percent higher than morning people on cognitive assessments. Even those without a strong preference for morning or night still performed better than early risers.
“Our study found that adults who are naturally more active in the evening tended to perform better on cognitive tests than those who are ‘morning people.’ Rather than just being personal preferences, these chronotypes could impact our cognitive function,” lead author Dr. Raha West explained.
The study accounted for age, gender, smoking, drinking, health conditions and other factors. Younger people and those without chronic illnesses generally did better on the tests. Healthier lifestyle choices were also linked to better brain performance.