Larks or owls: who is more likely to be successful? People are owls and larks. Who has an easier life? Is it better to be a night owl or a lark?

Each of us has long determined our chronotype - the dependence of biorhythms on the time of day. Larks wake up early, at six or seven o'clock, easily and naturally. But in the evening, people of this type feel tired, exhausted, even if they do not want to sleep. They usually need to fall asleep around ten. They are most productive before lunch. Owls, on the other hand, are completely incapable of getting up early. But they can stay awake all night long: in the dark, their performance only increases. Although nothing stops them.

This is a very old classification, confirmed in the West by scientific research back in the seventies. These studies were based on Morningless-Eveningless questions and allowed many to determine their biorhythms. Recently, scientists have introduced two more subtypes. People of one of them wake up early and fall asleep late. And the second subtype of people not only likes to lie in bed longer, but also goes to bed early.

Which chronotype is more advantageous? This is a rather complex and controversial issue. Many works, proverbs are devoted to the fact that it is better to be a lark: “He who gets up early, God gives him” and so on. Science (and not only that, but Lifehacker already talks about this) does not entirely agree with such a judgment.

Owls may be smarter

Psychologists Richard Roberts from the University of Sydney and Patrick Kyllonen from the BBC Research Group tested 420 representatives of different chronotypes. The level of professional training, knowledge of general mathematics, reading speed, perception speed and memory were measured. The results of the study were published in 1999 in one of the major psychology journals.

The best results were shown by lovers of the evening and night lifestyle. The gap was minor, but quite noticeable. The biggest advantage was observed in the area of memory and the ability to do several things at once, quickly switching between tasks. These indicators were significantly better for owls.

So, contrary to popular belief, it is owls who are more efficient and successful at work, and not larks.

Larks are no more successful than owls

Proverbs and sayings say that being a morning person is more profitable. The work of two epidemiologists from the University of Southampton, the results of which were published by the journal BGM in 1998, refutes this common belief.

Scientists conducted a study involving more than 300 people of each chronotype. The selected groups were compared by income, level of intelligence, position in society and health status. Surprisingly, night owls were, on average, more successful and had higher earnings. Moreover, statistics have shown that people who prefer to work in the evening and sleep longer in the morning are more likely to have personal vehicles.

But the state of health, level of education, intelligence and intelligence do not at all depend on a person’s chronotype. Both groups turned out to be completely identical on these issues.

Owls are more romantic. And not only

A 2012 study showed another link between behavior and chronotype. The results of a survey of 284 men in Germany revealed that owls are more “playful”: their sexual behavior is more active than that of larks. This does not apply to the number of sexual acts - there is complete equality here. But people who considered themselves night owls reported more partners. Marital infidelity is also more common among owls than among larks.

Researchers correlated these facts with the fact that the body's greatest sexual activity occurs at night. Precisely when larks are passive or completely asleep. The activity of owls, on the contrary, coincides with this biorhythm. Scientists note that this judgment may be controversial, but every theory has the right to life.

Larks are friendlier and more conscientious

Interestingly, people who are night owls have a greater desire for novelty than larks. Thus, a certain Randler and Heidelberg published a work (note that it has some emphasis on the adolescence of the respondents), in which they found a connection between the evening psychotype and the desire for novelty.

The same study showed that larks are more persistent and prefer cooperation when performing various types of work. In this regard, they are more pleasant and conscientious than owls. And they are more active when working together.

Night owls are better at baseball

The most interesting study was conducted by a scientific group that focused on baseball players. The chronotypes of 16 players and their results for two seasons - 2009 and 2010 - were compared. Seven and a half thousand serves made by athletes led scientists to a conclusion that was published in one of the issues of Sleep magazine back in 2011. The results shown in the picture speak for themselves.

Performance of baseball players of different chronotypes depending on playing time. Night owl players compare favorably with early risers. Photo: www.aasmnet.org

Owls are more susceptible to bad habits

Some evidence suggests that night owls are more susceptible to various bad habits than larks. For example, a study conducted in Finland found that owl smokers are much less likely to quit smoking, and in general there are more smokers among owls. A similar study found that people who are more active in the evening drink more alcohol than those who are active in the morning.

It is not yet known what exactly pushes owls to such behavior. Perhaps the reason lies only in the fact that larks get tired faster and simply do not have time to drink a large amount of alcohol. Owls, on the other hand, lead a more active nightlife, which means they are much more likely to become regulars at night entertainment venues - clubs and bars.

Larks are hard workers, owls are procrastinators

Conformist early risers are more hardworking in general. In 1997, a survey conducted by DePaul University found that procrastinators like to call themselves “night people.” Researchers have found that owls like to procrastinate and even avoid certain tasks altogether. However, the respondents were students, and they tend to procrastinate and be lazy, so the results were called into question.

In 2008, the same scientific group found that at the age of 50 nothing changes. Owls also remain procrastinators and put everything off until the evening or forever. The researchers suggested that the reason lies in the preference to work at night. However, they noted that this does not create problems at work.

Whoever gets up early... is a little happier

Such trends cannot but affect the general standard of living and self-awareness. Sociologists call this result social jetlag: people who are active in the evening are forced to force themselves to work in the morning, resulting in emotional burnout and reduced sleep time.

This theory was put forward by scientists from the University of Toronto in their 2012 paper. After surveying 435 respondents aged 17 to 38 and 297 aged 59 to 79, the researchers found that early risers experienced more positive emotions. This may not clearly indicate that they are happier. But life is more pleasant for them - that’s a fact.

Chronotype is not a diagnosis

Thus, it is impossible to clearly determine who is better to be - an owl or a lark. And phrases like “I’m a night owl, which means I’ll mind my own business in the morning and work in the evening” are actually nothing more than self-hypnosis, or even just a voice of laziness. A 2011 study proved that people are actually capable of more creative solutions during non-standard work hours.

A test group of 428 people was given a set of six tasks that had to be completed at random times. Some of the tasks were designed to apply logic, while others were designed to demonstrate creative abilities. The results of the study showed that when performing logical tasks, both chronotypes cope equally well with the task both at work hours that are convenient for them and at unusual times. Interestingly, creative tasks at inopportune times were completed better and more unexpected solutions were found than at times corresponding to working hours for owls or larks.

Scientists explained this result by the fact that rest from prolonged work can lead to better performance.

Who is better to be? Perhaps no study will answer this question. Happiness, success and other components of our life, first of all, depend on ourselves. And if desired, the lark becomes an owl. The main thing is to listen to the needs of the body and try, if possible, to adjust the work schedule to suit yourself, and not to adapt to it yourself.

Many have heard about this division of all people into two groups. Owls and larks are unevenly distributed. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out what type of people are better suited to the modern world.

We will not consider questions about who is better at something specific. It is important to understand who is more suitable for the modern lifestyle and modern requirements for people, because the ability to get up early is not just a good habit, but a necessity.

General information about owls and larks

Despite the fact that we are all forced to live in a daily routine that is convenient for early risers, where you have to get up early, work during the day and go to bed early, there are more pure owls in the world. Research in this area suggests that about 20 percent of people are typical night owls, which means they have great difficulty in the morning. Widowed fewer people are early risers. They get up well in the morning and already feel very tired in the evening.

70 percent of people around the world belong to the so-called intermediate type, when they can go to bed later and get up earlier without any problems. This versatility does not lead to any good, because it is not always entirely clear at what time of day it is best to work.

Scientists have found that most owls are accustomed to intellectual stress. Larks, on the other hand, represent a huge amount of physical strength. That is why most people associated with science and creativity are owls. Most athletes are early risers. Many people have the stereotypical opinion that owls are lazy people who lack a sense of responsibility. This is not true, because their constant lateness to work and forgetfulness are a consequence of lack of sleep.

Who is better and why

Let's try to analyze the features of the modern world. So, electricity consumption increases at night for completely understandable reasons. If people work only at night, the world will be shaken by an economic crisis. Electricity will be consumed at a much higher rate. This awaits us even if we allow only owls to work at night. Thus. This is not discrimination, but simply a forced measure. The only thing that can be done in this regard is to shift the working day for night owls, at least a little, but no one will do this either, because it is an unnecessary hassle. So, 1:0 in favor of the larks, because they do not have to put up with the “world regime”.

On the other hand, the world is increasingly moving towards the fact that people need some special abilities, creativity, and creative approach. In this regard, owls are largely ahead of larks. Night people have better brain function when it comes to making innovative decisions. These people are less productive in physical activities, but their brains are full of strength, although they are not always able to show it. The score becomes equal - 1:1.

There are no more global aspects of comparison, but early risers can always find a way to seem better. The reality is that if you are independent and self-sufficient, then you can safely not be afraid to go to bed at a time that is convenient for you. Larks are people who are better suited to being led, to work for someone. Owls are more independent people. Owls need to look for a job that would allow them to organize their own working day. Of course, this is not so easy, but it is always worth trying, because a way out of any situation can be found.

You shouldn't fight with yourself, no matter who you are - a lark or a night owl. If you want to sleep at 10 pm, then you need to do this. You should not try to change your normal biological regime. Useful habits are not those that are useful to society, but those that should be useful to you. Think carefully about all aspects of your life rhythm. Perhaps it needs to be changed. Good luck and don't forget to press the buttons and

In society, it is customary to divide people into two main types: “night owls” and “larks”. Someone else identifies a third group - the so-called “pigeons”. This division is based on the rhythm of life a person leads.

The “lark” gets up early, but also goes to bed early. At the same time, he feels comfortable, his performance reaches its peak in the morning. But in the evening this “bird” gets tired, his head can’t think straight, and the “lark” goes to rest.

Night owls, on the other hand, can wake up in the afternoon and stay awake almost all night long. In the morning they have trouble thinking clearly and find it difficult to get out of bed. But by evening they become active and ready to perform feats. Peak brain activity of night owls begins around eight o'clock in the evening.

"Pigeons" are an intermediate type. They wake up later than larks, but also go to bed earlier than owls.

_______________

Each of these types is conditional, because each person can move from one “flock of birds” to another.

_______________

As for age, people usually become “early people” with age, while teenagers are mostly “night owls.”

But each type has its own advantages.

Advantages and disadvantages of larks

Most people on the planet are early risers. The entire routine of our day is subject to laws of this type: institutions, shops, hospitals begin to work in the morning hours, and end at 17:00-18:00, when a self-respecting “night owl” has not even woken up normally yet.

That is, if you are a born early bird, you a lot of advantages :

you live in the same rhythm with the city and you have time everywhere: to see a doctor, and to file a tax report;
all fresh projects on the freelance exchange are yours . You will be one of the first to submit applications in the morning;
You be the first to know the latest news in your field;
you always Convenient communication with customers , because most of them schedule a “first meeting” with a freelancer in the first half of the day;
If you used to work in an office, you don't rearrange your schedule, but working as before , from morning to afternoon;
"larks" more organized and tend to make work plans for the day.

If you get up early, you are perceived as already an adult, accomplished person. By the way, it has been noted that successful businessmen get up around 4-5 o’clock in the morning. This gives them the opportunity to accomplish much more in a day than those who like to lie in bed.

"Larks" are ideal office workers. But it’s more difficult for them in freelancing: if they didn’t have time to complete the project in the morning, such a freelancer will be of no use in the evening.

As a freelancer, it is difficult to work with foreign clients. If the customer is from the USA, then it is the height of his working day when it is almost night for us. The lark needs to be in touch at this time, but how to do this if the eyes are stuck together and the brain thinks only of a soft pillow?

Advantages and disadvantages of owls

"Owls", on the contrary, are active in the afternoon. They can wake up after lunch and stay online until 4 am, chatting with friends or working on the next project.

And it's great overall a number of reasons :

"owl" easy to work with foreign clients , which, due to the difference in time zones, are available online when it’s night;
night is a quiet time when no one bothers you to create;
there is no need to participate in home bedlam in the morning when everyone is rushing to work and looking around the apartment for socks. You can get up later, when everyone has left, and gather in peace;
"owl" knows how to work hard, overtime . When the lark has already “blown away”, the owl gets a second wind - this way it is possible not to miss the deadlines.

There are a lot of “owls” who freelance. They are uncomfortable working according to the generally accepted schedule - from morning to lunch. Therefore, they are of little use in the office, and sooner or later they decide to go free. Working from home gives you the opportunity to get a good night's sleep: you no longer need to get up early or early to get to the office by nine. The more you sleep, the later you sit down to work - as a result, you automatically turn from an office “lark” into a freedom-loving “night owl.”

"Owls" face difficulties when they need to join the general rhythm of the city for a day or two: visit the hospital, take documents, contact the bank. The world lives according to the laws of larks, and an “owl”, if he sleeps for a long time, simply will not have time to complete all his affairs.

The good thing about freelancing is that you can be yourself

You don't have to adhere to any generally accepted schedule: do you work well in the morning? Work! Is it convenient to work at night? Yes please!

Exceptions are possible only for very serious, important clients, or if you are not freelancing in the full sense of the word, but working remotely.

But freelancers are night owls, as well as early risers, and sometimes face problems that arise precisely from their usual way of life:

an “owl” can find a regular client who can only be caught online in the morning;
Waking up late and working all night, the night owl does not have time to do household chores and communicate with family;
“A morning person” does not have time to complete projects, because in the morning he takes care of the house, and in the evening he collapses without strength.

There are many other points. But more often than not, a freelancer has to adapt to the working rhythm of his client.

And if the customer is not a one-time thing, but for a long time, you will have to change your usual way of life in order to fully cooperate with him.

Remember the golden rule in this case:

__________________

Under the influence of the regime, any bird turns into a human.

__________________

That is, having developed a regime for yourself that is convenient for both you and your client, after some time you will be able to easily work on it.

A person easily changes the rhythm of life. It's only the first few days that are difficult. Yes, it will be difficult to wake up early, or not fall asleep at the computer at 23.00. To make it easier to switch to a new daily routine:

take a walk : it will be easier for an “owl” to wake up by jogging in the park in the morning, and a “lark” will be invigorated by the evening fresh air;
take breaks , get up from the computer;
learn simple exercises, do exercises if you feel drowsy or tired;
in the first days don't burden yourself so many;
try to be less distracted on social networks, maintain your work pace;
schedule yourself every day clear action plan – this will help you gather your strength.

Do you need to “break yourself” for a client? Decide for yourself here. Everyone has their own values: for some it is more important to earn more, for others it is more important to sleep longer.

Whether you are an owl or a lark, it doesn’t matter. Freelancing allows you to work at your own pace at any time. And if circumstances develop in such a way that the usual rhythm has to be changed, this is easier to do than it seems.

Owl or Lark - how to determine whether you belong to one group or another? Drivers and pedestrians, healthy and sick, bosses and subordinates, rich and poor... Among people there are groups whose representatives traditionally do not like each other. But today we will talk about the eternal confrontation between two more groups: Owls and Larks.

Owl or Lark - how to determine whether you belong to one group or another? Larks wake up early in the morning without much effort, their performance remains maximum in the first half of the day, but after lunch their energy supply gradually dries up, and by the evening they already feel tired and ready to go to bed.

Owls, on the other hand, have difficulty getting up when the alarm clock rings, preferring to push back their wake-up time “to a later date.” All morning they feel no desire to eat, move or do anything at all. But then they gradually “swing” and join in the work. This surge of vivacity lasts until late in the evening, and only after 12 o'clock at night Owls feel the desire to fall asleep. By the way, if you want to determine which chronotype you exactly belong to, you can get tested.

In addition to those listed, there is also an intermediate type. Such people are called Pigeons, so in general the entire set of chronotypes looks like this: Owl, Lark, Dove. But now we won’t talk about the latter: they have the least problems in life :). But Owls and Larks sometimes experience discomfort due to their characteristics...

Many people think that being a Lark or an Owl is a choice of the person himself, the result of a habit or an indicator of the degree of his hard work (or, accordingly, laziness). To a certain, small extent, this is true: after all, on long holidays, most people become Owls, and on weekdays, those who like to lie in bed are forced to behave like Larks.

But it is impossible to truly transform from a Lark into an Owl or vice versa; the Owl and the Lark have biorhythms already determined at birth. The optimal sleep pattern and duration are recorded in each of us in genetic memory, and they cannot be changed. If you are forced to sleep differently than nature told you, you will feel “out of place” and realize that you would like to build your regime differently.

In society, it is customary to set Larks as an example to Owls, and accuse the latter of laziness. It is not the owls' fault that they do not like to get up early in the morning, this has been proven by science, but they continue to be treated as parasites who put their whims above the interests of other people.

In a competition between Larks and Owls, the former invariably win by a large margin. Why? After all, early awakenings and a fountain of energy in the morning are not their merit, but a genetic feature. It's like thinking that you are better than others because you have beautiful eyes or the shape of your nails.

Well, for that matter, let’s also compare the owners of different chronotypes with each other and determine who is “cooler.”

We can talk for a long time about what both are bad or good at, but I hope you understand: it is impossible to compare Owls and Larks, whose biorhythms are quite stable, weakly changeable and do not depend on their will.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that everyone will be so easily inspired by this idea and immediately leave the Owls alone. People have lived for thousands of years according to the rule of the Larks, so offending lazy people who are not happy with early awakenings is, one might say, in the blood of many. One of the greats said: “Not a single person recognizes the right of another to be in bed when he himself is already up.” This statement applies fully to Larks.

In general, both Owls and Larks should be pitied, because if they are bright representatives of their chronotype, then it is very difficult for the first to get up in the morning, and for the second to remain conscious throughout the evening. I will give some tips that will help them.

Owls. How to get out of bed in the morning.

Larks: how to survive until lights out.

Reflexology, airing the apartment and good lighting, which were mentioned in the tips for night owls, will also help you.
Break your sleep hygiene - drink coffee at 14-15 hours to perk up in the afternoon. You can also treat yourself to chocolate.
If staying alert until 21-22 hours is completely unbearable, take a nap for half an hour during the day, until 15 hours.
At 16-17 hours, plan a walk or sports training with light or moderate physical activity.
Schedule something fun to do after work.
Like everyone else, you should sleep in a well-ventilated, dark, quiet bedroom, where neither Owls nor other “woodpeckers” will disturb you.

These recommendations may be useful, but, by and large, they are all bad advice. In both cases, it is recommended not to sleep when the body is asking for rest. All this is unnatural and wrong, and I, being a notorious Owl, am convinced of this every morning.

Ideally, Owls and Larks should not adapt to others, but proceed from their own interests, because the main thing is not to get up and go to bed “on time,” but to get enough sleep. A well-rested person thinks better, works better and feels better. So strive to get enough sleep. This way you will be doing yourself and your health a huge favor. Biorhythms are our heritage and should be treated with the utmost respect, so if you have the opportunity, try to build your day around your desired routine, and not the other way around.