Research Finds People Who Stay Up Late Are More Intelligent Than Early Risers

They say the early bird catches the worm, but new research suggests that being a night owl might actually have more benefits.

There are those who find that getting up early is the best way to start their day. For them, it’s a perfect routine that sets a positive tone.

However, for others, waking up early feels like a struggle, almost like facing a nightmare every morning.

A new study, which is likely to surprise the ‘rise and grind’ enthusiasts, compared early risers and night owls.

This extensive research involved 26,000 people, aiming to determine how each group performed on intelligence tests. The results were quite unexpected.

This intriguing study was led by academics at Imperial College London.

New research indicates that people who stay up late are more intelligent than early risers. mapo / Getty

Participants were asked to complete a series of tests measuring reasoning, intelligence, memory, and reaction times.

Researchers also examined various factors related to the participants, including the quality and duration of their sleep.

Another key aspect studied was their chronotype, which refers to the time of day when someone feels most alert, akin to their circadian rhythm.

The results of the study indicated that people who go to bed later and wake up later performed better on these cognitive tests.

This finding aligns with historical evidence, as some notable late sleepers include writer James Joyce, Leonardo Da Vinci, and former President Barack Obama.

These examples give some historical backing to the idea that late sleepers might have a cognitive edge.

However, while it might be tempting to start delaying your bedtime based on these findings, the study also highlights the importance of getting enough sleep.

According to Raha West, the lead author and clinical research fellow at the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College,

"We found that sleep duration has a direct effect on brain function, and we believe that proactively managing sleep patterns is really important for boosting, and safeguarding, the way our brains work."

Getting up early is not for everyone. John Lamb / Getty

“We’d ideally like to see policy interventions to help sleep patterns improve in the general population."

Despite the study's compelling results, there remains some skepticism. Jacqui Hanley from Alzheimer's Research UK pointed out to The Guardian that it's not clear whether changes in sleep patterns affect cognition or if the reverse is true.

Jessica Chelekis, a senior lecturer in sustainability global value chains and a sleep expert at Brunel University London, noted ‘important limitations’ in the study.

She mentioned that the study did not account for the time when the tests were taken or the participants' educational attainment.

According to her, the main value of the study is its challenge to stereotypes about sleep.

Interestingly, it’s not just going to bed later that might be linked to intelligence.

A study conducted in 2014 found that people who swear frequently tend to be smarter as well.