If it is absolutely forbidden to feed Gremlins after midnight, it seems that humans do not even need food for this late schedule to transform them, too, into monsters. As Discover Magazine reports, researchers have developed a hypothesis that associates staying up until the early hours with a series of neurophysiological changes that influence our behavior, making us more impulsive, more cynical and more prone to making very poor choices.
Known in English as “Mind After Midnight,” this theory is presented in detail in the journal Frontiers in Network Psychology. It is based on the idea that our brain is influenced by the circadian clock, which can change the way we think and act over a twenty-four hour period. One result is that we might be more cheerful in the morning, when we’re supposed to be awake, and more depressed in the evening, when our bodies are preparing for sleep.
Various impacts
According to Elizabeth B. Klerman, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study, negative biases linked to late hours could lead to poor decision-making. This phenomenon could be exacerbated by a surge of dopamine which impacts the reward and motivation system, thus increasing the risk of risky behaviors.
Other research supports the fact that going to bed late has a significant impact on our overall mood and well-being. A study published in the journal Psychiatry Research also showed that our mood was lower at night, which could help explain the link between depression and insomnia.
Another study published in 2024 in this same journal, and relayed by Science Direct, showed that people who go to bed early have better mental health. Researchers came to this conclusion after comparing the sleep habits and rates of depression and anxiety of more than 70,000 middle- and older-aged adults.
Not all individuals are equal when it comes to this phenomenon. The most affected are not necessarily those we think: surprisingly, early risers who go to bed exceptionally late are rather spared from deteriorating mental health and making bad decisions. “Morning people who go to bed late are well aware that their brain is not functioning properly and therefore may put off making bad decisions until later.”says Jamie Zeitzer, the lead author of the study.
At the same time, night owls tend not to realize that their mood is sinking or that the choices they are about to make are less than the wisest. People who pride themselves on being night owls and not suffering any consequences would do well to reconsider their recent decisions and ask themselves if resuming a more ordinary rhythm could not be profitable for them.
