The findings match what Susan Albers, PsyD, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, sees in her practice.
“My patients report that in the morning they often feel their best, and in the evening, they struggle a lot with anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and turning off their brain,” says Dr. Albers, who wasn’t involved in the study.
Happiness and Mood Measured Over 2 Years and 1 Million Survey Responses
For this study, investigators aimed to explore whether time of day was associated with variations in mental health, including feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, as well as happiness, life satisfaction, and a sense that life was worthwhile. They also looked at the day of the week, season, and year.
The researchers surveyed 49,218 adults in the United Kingdom between 2020 and 2022. By the end of the period, researchers had collected nearly a million responses.
About 3 out 4 participants were women, 68 percent had a college degree, and 94 percent were white. To compensate, researchers weighed the responses to reflect population proportions.
Happiness and Mental Health Were Best in the Morning and Lowest by Midnight
Mental health and well-being were measured via online questionnaires using validated assessment tools or through single direct questions such as:
- In the past week, how happy did you feel?
- How satisfied have you been with your life?
- To what extent have you felt the things you are doing in your life are worthwhile?
Time stamps on completion of each survey provided information on time of day (people could respond from 6 am to midnight), day of the week, season, and year.
Key findings included:
- While happiness, life satisfaction, and worthwhile ratings were high in the morning, they were lowest around midnight. Likewise, depression and anxiety were low in the morning and highest late at night.
- Happiness, life satisfaction, and worthwhile ratings were all slightly higher on Mondays and Fridays than on Sundays. Happiness was also higher on Tuesdays.
- Loneliness levels stayed constant across days of the week. There was more variation in mental health and well-being during weekends than weekdays.
- There was clear evidence of a seasonal influence on mood. Compared with winter, people tended to have lower levels of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, and higher levels of happiness, life satisfaction, and feeling that life was worthwhile in other seasons. Mental health was best in the summer across all outcomes.
- Mental health and well-being also steadily improved from 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, to 2022.
How Sunlight and Sleep Affect Mood
The findings fit with what we know about biology and mood, says Albers.
“The hormone cortisol peaks in the morning, which helps with alertness and energy,” she says.
“The circadian rhythms of our sleep-wake cycle could be a factor, because exposure to sunlight, particularly in the morning, makes us feel good,” says Albers.
Especially if we get a good night’s sleep, it serves as a reset button for our emotional state, and we look at the next day as a new start, she says.
The findings that mood dips and anxiety rises at night resonated with what Albers sees with her patients.
“Late at night is when we experience decision fatigue. First thing in the morning, we haven’t made many decisions yet, but by the end of the day, we’ve made hundreds of big and little choices. At that point, we’re just really mentally and emotionally exhausted,” she says.
How to Be Your Happiest and Most Productive Self
To leverage your ups and minimize your downs, Albers suggests “conducting an observational study of yourself.”
“Track your moods throughout the day to see what is optimal for you. If your experience matches the findings of this study, try to plan important or challenging tasks for first thing in the morning, when you’re going to be the most focused and have the best concentration, energy, and mood,” she says.
Exercising in the evening also can be a good way to naturally boost mood, says Albers.
“It’s a good practice to have a nighttime ‘wind-down’ ritual. Doing some mindfulness exercises, relaxation, and stress management at night can help to turn off your brain so that you’re not awake at night and ruminating and stressing about everything that’s happened throughout the day,” she says.