I find there are few people in this world plagued with the early bird curse and even fewer who also bear the burden of being a night owl. The early bird might get the worm, but the midnight owl also gets its prey. Why sleep when you could be watching Netflix or jamming out to music? And why sleep in when you could watch nature wake up or make a hardy breakfast? Most people are either/or.
Science says sleeping habits are encoded in our genes, based on the idea that varying sleeping habits helped protect the group in prehistoric eras. Even so, some people say that they feel their best at night or mornings, which influences their preference to stay up or wake up at different times.
What causes the difference? And are certain personality types more likely to be one way than the other?
Early birds and night owls appear to be polar opposites on the personality spectrum. According to AsapSCIENCE, early birds have the social advantage of being awake early while night owls are still trying to wake up. This is called social jet lag, which contributes to lower grades night students may earn compared to morning students. Early birds also tend to have better social skills, be happier and avoid getting hooked on addictive substances. There are actual physical differences between the two as well – specifically, the prevalence of bags under their eyes and the amount of white matter in their brains. The white matter in the brain helps neurons communicate and represents the variance in traits. Compared to early birds, night owls have significantly less white matter, which means limited pathways for dopamines, serotonin and other "feel-good" hormones to travel through.
On the upside for night owls, they are usually more creative, have higher cognitive abilities and are risk takers. This is because of their high cortisol levels, which helps keep them stay alert. This can contribute to the risks they take, which may lead to success in the future. Also, early birds commonly tire faster than night owls do. While they both perform as well as the other on reaction tests an hour after waking, as the day goes on, night owls tend to do much better. So, there are positives and negatives to both sleeping habits.
But what does it say about your identity if you're both?
I asked around school and social media to find anyone who considered themselves to be both a night owl and an early bird, but they all found themselves to be either/or. So, based on my own experience, I suggest that someone who is both a night owl and early bird – hence, an early owl – may have a mix of the two personality traits. Since it's evident that the amount of sleep you get influences your physical functions and personality traits, then the brain of an early owl must lie somewhere in the middle. I guess it would be the best of both worlds – besides the lack of sleep.
Sleeping habits seem to be based mainly on genetics whereas personality traits are developed by life events. However, this data is all based on what the average person does, which means there are bound to be some outliers. So, what about you – are you a night owl, early bird or both? Do think the personality traits match you, or is it just a bunch of drowsy psychobabble?
