Research from Semmelweis University detected correlations between preferences in the times a person spends sleeping and their IQ score
Are those who live at night more intelligent?
The most intelligent individuals tend to prefer nightlife, a time when their creativity reaches its zenith. It is for this reason that these people often go to bed later or have trouble falling asleep.
Although different research has warned that insufficient sleep has very harmful consequences for health and can even shorten life, the truth is that There is a relationship between a high level of IQ and suffering from insomnia.
Rest and hours of sleep play an essential role in the biology of animals, and this new study provides new variables to take into account: Sleep patterns and rest schedules are linked to your cognitive ability As the results show, subjects with higher IQ scores tend to be more active during the night, while those with lower scores tend to go to bed earlier.
Research on sleep cycles and intelligence
The truth is that this type of research always generates controversy. Many analysts agree that the concept of IQ used to measure a concept as abstract and relative as human intelligence is in itself a basic limitation. There is no doubt, however, that the night has characteristics that attract certain types of personalities, such as reflective people and those who develop their creative potential; profiles that demand a comfortable and mystical atmosphere that the night provides
Robert Bolizs , one of the authors of the research, showed through encephalogram images during sleep episodes, that there are certain variables that are directly associated with cognitive performance in the awake state. For its part, the investigations of H. Aliasson revealed how sleep intervals correlate with students’ academic performance.
The correlation between scores on intelligence tests and schedules is notable
Other interesting studies on this topic are those carried out by the researcher Satoshu Kanazawa at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Kanazawa noted that There are significant differences between predilections in sleep schedules in reference to their scores on IQ tests Subjects with higher scores reported a greater ability to produce during the night, while people with more limited IQ levels limited their activities during the day.
As Kanazawa indicates, prehistoric humans lived and produced mainly during the day, although the trend was reversing, increasing nocturnal activity as the generations followed one another. It is from this point of view that it seems accurate to say that The evolution of the human psyche seems to be progressively linked to nighttime schedules In summary, Kanazawa agrees that people with greater cognitive abilities tend to feel more comfortable promoting their personal development at night, showing a “higher level of cognitive complexity.”
Night people and mental health
Another investigation carried out in 2008 and coordinated by the Italian psychologist Marina Giampietro pointed out that nocturnal people have a weaker emotional stability and are more likely to suffer from depression and addictions This would confirm that minds with greater creative capacity and less traditional are in turn the most fragile in the face of certain psychological disorders.
More information about the difference between morning people and night owls in the following article:
“The differences between being morning and being evening”