I’m not alone. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Disney’s Bob Iger get up at the same time. According to one survey, two-thirds of the chief executives of large American companies are up by 6 o’clock; for average Americans the share is less than one in three.
There is both promise and peril of waking up early. According to The Economist, In a study conducted in 2012 by Renée Biss and Lynn Hasher, then both at the University of Toronto, early birds reported feeling happier and healthier. Night owls, their nocturnal opposites, tend to have less sleep, which can weigh on their mood and health—as well as their productivity. Andrew Conlin of the University of Oulu, in Finland, and co-authors found that men who rose late made 4% less money than those who were up early.
But, there’s a downside of being an early riser. Christoph Randler and colleagues at the Heidelberg University of Education found that men who stayed up later had “higher mating success.” They were also perceived as being less relaxed, easy-going, and spontaneous. And, they are less likely to hear the gossip after a couple of glasses of wine.
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being an early bird or a night owl? And, have you ever shifted your habits as to when you routinely rise?
-Chip