People feel worst at night, UK study claims

People tend to feel happier in the morning, as compared to night, with a broader mood change witnessed even across the length of the week and seasons, a research has shown. 

According to a study by researchers at University College London, published in the BMJ Mental Health journal, people generally wake up feeling the best and it becomes all downhill from there onwards, bottoming at feeling the worst around midnight. 

The mood change was also witnessed along the days of the week, as well as seasons, with people feeling the most happy and satisfied in summer and most depressed in winter. 

The study involved more than 49,000 participants giving responses to a questionnaire over a period of two years, March 2020–March 2022. 

The final population involved 50.8 per cent women, with over 34 per cent with higher education, and more than 14 per cent ethnic minority. 

"Generally, things do seem better in the morning. Hedonic and eudemonic well-being have the most variation, and social well-being is most stable," the paper said. 

Researchers argued that the difference between the mental health may have been caused by the rising and ebbing levels of hormones during the course of the day. 

For example, cortisol typically peaks shortly after waking and decreases throughout the day, with the lowest levels recorded between 8 pm and 4 am, they said. 

The mood was also subject to variations in "geographical context" and environment factors such as sunlight, temperature, noise, and air pollution.

The participants were assessed on different standardised tests for depression, anxiety, and happiness. 

Dr Feifei Bu, from UCL’s department of behavioural science and health, told The Guardian, "Our findings suggest that on average, people’s mental health and wellbeing are better in the morning and worst at midnight."

She said, though the findings were intriguing, they need to be replicated in further studies. 

"If validated, this could have important practical implications. Researchers investigating people’s mental health and wellbeing should take into account the time of day people respond," Dr Bu said.

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