This may seem counterintuitive to those who tend to hit snooze, but people are happiest in the morning, a new study says.
The study – which examined the relationship time of day and depression, anxiety, well-being and loneliness — found people felt the happiest when they woke up and the worst around midnight. They also felt better in the summer than in the winter. The researchers said their findings could help guide future studies and mental health interventions.
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The influence that the day of the week had on mental health was less clear, the researchers said, noting more variance on weekends than weekdays.
People reported higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction and feeling worthwhile on Mondays and Fridays than on Sundays, for instance. Measures of mental health were the worst mid-week. People reported no morning reprieve from depressive and anxious symptoms on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Loneliness levels were more static throughout the week.
Physiological changes that occur over the course of a day, such as hormonal fluctuations, may partly explain the shifts in mental health and well-being over the course of the day 24. But physiology would not account for changes in happiness and well-being on different days of the week, researchers said. Other factors, such as how people's routines and activities vary from weekdays to weekends, could influence the outcomes.
The study was based on self-reported data from nearly 50,000 people. It was collected from 2020 to 2022, a period that overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Future research into mental health and well-being should account for time, day and season, researchers said. The study's findings could help improve the planning and development of mental health interventions and public health services. For example, people might be more receptive to certain treatments or interventions in the morning. Also, mental health screenings may differ depending on the time of day, the researchers said.
The study was limited by the fact that it relied on self-reported data. The surveys were conducted in England and its particular weather patterns could have impacted the results. Also, the researchers noted that they did "not know why people chose to respond at different times of day or days of the week, which arguably might be affected by their (mental health and well-being)."
