Circadian typology and individual differences. A review

doi:10.1016/0191-8869(94)90209-7

Personality and Individual Differences

Volume 16, Issue 5, May 1994, Pages 671-684

https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(94)90209-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

This paper reviews studies which have dealt with the relationship between morningness-eveningness (circadian typology) and other individual differences such as age, sex, personality dimensions and work schedule of their subjects. It appeared that the changes in the morningness-eveningness preference covaried with the age related changes in the internal body clock. An older age was associated with morningness while younger subjects tended towards eveningness, the critical age for the circadian typology change was 50 years. Sex-related differences are too small to be reflected in the scores on circadian typology questionnaires, although women were ahead of men by 1 hr in their circadian rhythms. The results on work schedule proved its role as a synchronizer modifying the morningness factor. The morningness dimension and extraversion are probably related through the impulsivity subdimension, which is closely associated with brain activation. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between morningness and other personality dimensions (neuroticism, psychoticism), because the results are inconclusive. The influence of circadian typology on the tolerance to shift work and life habits are also discussed. The results with regard to shift work revealed the importance of morningness in determining human tolerance and health complaints. As regards life habits, there were differences in various aspects related to carcadian typology especially psychoactive substances consumption.

References (54)

A. Adan
The influence of morningness-eveningness preference in the relationship between body temperature and performance: a diurnal study
Personality and Individual Differences
(1991)
A. Adan
The influence of age, work schedule and personality on morningness dimension
International Journal of Psychophysiology
(1992)
A. Adan et al.
Horne and Östberg morningness-eveningness questionnaire: a reduced scale
Personality and Individual Differences
(1991)
G. Buela-Casal et al.
Differences between morning and evening types in performance
Personality and Individual Differences
(1990)
J. Fröberg
Twenty-four-hour patterns in human performance, subjective and physiological variables and differences between morning and evening active subjects
Biological Psychology
(1977)
R.J. Larsen
Individual differences in circadian activity rhythm and personality
Personality and Individual Differences
(1985)
L. Mecacci et al.
The relationship between morningness-eveningness, ageing and personality
Personality and Individual Differences
(1986)
A.C. Neubauer
Psychometric comparison of two circadian rhythm questionnaires and their relationship with personality
Personality and Individual Differences
(1992)
G.D. Wilson
Personality, time of day and arousal
Personality and Individual Differences
(1990)
A. Adan et al.
Adaptation and standardization of a Spanish version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire: individual differences
Personality and Individual Differences
(1990)

A.M. Ambert

Sex structure

(1976)

H. Bearpark et al.

Changes in morningness-eveningness scores during adolescence and their relationship to sleep/wake disturbances

Chronobiologia

(1987)

A.A. Benedito-Silva et al.

A self-evaluation questionnaire for the determination of morningness-eveningness types in Brazil

Chronobiologia

(1989)

G. Buela-Casal

Cronopsicofisiología del ritmo circadiano de activación durante la vigilia

(1990)

G. Costa et al.

Usual meal times in relation to age, sex, work activity and morningness-eveningness

Chronobiologia

(1987)

G. Costa et al.

Circadian characteristics influencing interindividual differences in tolerance and adjustment to shiftwork

Ergonomics

(1989)

C.A. Czeisler et al.

Entrainment of human circadian rhythms by light-dark cycles: a reassessment

Photochemistry and Photobiology

(1981)

H.J. Eysenck et al.

Personality, time of day and caffeine: some theoretical and conceptual problems

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

(1980)

S. Folkard et al.

Toward a predictive test of adjustment to shift work

Ergonomics

(1979)

G.L. Freeman et al.

Diurnal variations in performance and related physiological processes

Psychological Bulletin

(1934)

M. Härmä et al.

Physical fitness and other individual factors relating to the shiftwork tolerance of women

Chronobiology International

(1988)

G. Hilderbrandt et al.

Circadian response to night work in relation to the individual circadian phase position

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

(1979)

J.A. Horne et al.

A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms

International Journal of Chronobiology

(1976)

K. Ishihara et al.

Investigation of the children's version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire with primary and junior high school pupils in Japan

Perceptual and Motor Skills

(1990)

K. Ishihara et al.

Interindividual differences of circadian rhythms in worker sample: differences in work system and aging with respect to morning and evening types

Studies in: Family Life Management, Child Welfare, Food and Nutrition

(1990)

K. Ishihara et al.

Comparison of sleep-wake habits of morning and evening types in Japanese worker sample

Journal of Human Ergonomics

(1988)

K. Ishihara et al.

Morningness-eveningness preference and sleep habits in Japanese office workers of different ages

Chronobiologia

(1992)

Cited by (257)

What a difference a year makes: Objective rest/activity patterns, circadian phase markers, and sleep quality before and during the COVID-19 pandemic
2023, Sleep Health
The COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous changes in sleep duration, quality, and timing. The goal of this study was to examine objective and self-reported changes in sleep and circadian timing before and during the pandemic.
Data were utilized from an ongoing longitudinal study of sleep and circadian timing with assessments at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Participants had baseline assessment between 2019 and March 2020 (before pandemic) and 12-month follow-up between September 2020 and March 2021 (during pandemic). Participants completed 7 days of wrist actigraphy, self-report questionnaires, and laboratory-collected circadian phase assessment (dim light melatonin onset).
Actigraphy and questionnaire data were available for 18 participants (11 women and 7 men, Mean = 38.8 years, SD = 11.8). Dim light melatonin onset was available for 11 participants. Participants demonstrated statistically significant decreases in sleep efficiency (Mean = −4.11%, SD = 3.22, P = .001), worse scores on Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System sleep disturbance scale (Mean increase = 4.48, SD = 6.87, P = .017), and sleep end time delay (Mean = 22.4 mins, SD = 44.4 mins, P = .046). Chronotype was significantly correlated with change in dim light melatonin onset (r = 0.649, P = .031). This suggests that a later chronotype is associated with a greater delay in dim light melatonin onset. There were also non-significant increases in total sleep time (Mean = 12.4 mins, SD = 44.4 mins, P = .255), later dim light melatonin onset (Mean = 25.2 mins, SD = 1.15 hrs, P = .295), and earlier sleep start time (Mean = 11.4 mins, SD = 48 mins, P = .322).
Our data demonstrate objective and self-reported changes to sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies should look at whether some individuals will require intervention to phase advance sleep when returning to previous routines such as returning to office and school settings.
Beyond sleep: A multidimensional model of chronotype
2023, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
Chronotype can be defined as an expression or proxy for circadian rhythms of varied mechanisms, for example in body temperature, cortisol secretion, cognitive functions, eating and sleeping patterns. It is influenced by a range of internal (e.g., genetics) and external factors (e.g., light exposure), and has implications for health and well-being. Here, we present a critical review and synthesis of existing models of chronotype. Our observations reveal that most existing models and, as a consequence, associated measures of chronotype have focused solely or primarily on the sleep dimension, and typically have not incorporated social and environmental influences on chronotype. We propose a multidimensional model of chronotype, integrating individual (biological and psychological), environmental and social factors that appear to interact to determine an individual’s true chronotype with potential feedback loops between these factors. This model could be beneficial not only from a basic science perspective but also in the context of understanding health and clinical implications of certain chronotypes as well as designing preventive and therapeutic approaches for related illnesses.
Light in ecological settings: Entrainment, circadian disruption, and interventions
2022, Progress in Brain Research
Light is the predominant signal for the human circadian clock to synchronize to the solar 24-h day through an active process called entrainment. Modern light profiles are characterized by exposure to both natural daylight and artificial lighting. A mismatch between these self-selected light profiles and the solar day-night alternation can disrupt the circadian system, resulting in acute and chronic effects for health and safety. In this chapter, we describe (i) how entrainment works in the real world, illustrating the major role of light for this process; (ii) ways in which the circadian system can be disrupted by (external) factors such as irregular sleep, shift work, daylight saving time, and longitudinal position in a time zone; and (iii) how field studies have used light interventions to reduce direct and indirect effects of circadian disruption in ecological settings.
Pre-sleep arousal and sleep quality during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy
2021, Sleep Medicine
The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly affected daily habits and psychological wellbeing, and many studies point to large modifications in several sleep and sleep-related domains. Nevertheless, pre-sleep arousal during the pandemic has been substantially overlooked. Since hyperarousal represents one of the main factors for the development and the perpetuation of chronic insomnia disorder, the assessment of variables associated with high levels of pre-sleep arousal during the pandemic is clinically relevant. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of perceived sleep quality and pre-sleep arousal in an Italian sample during the COVID-19 lockdown.
We used an online survey to collect self-reported sociodemographic, environmental, clinical, sleep, and sleep-related data. Our final sample included 761 participants.
Beyond a high frequency of poor sleep quality, depressive and stress symptoms, our results show that almost half of the sample suffered from clinically relevant levels of at least one component (ie, cognitive, somatic) of pre-sleep arousal. Subjects with greater pre-sleep arousal exhibited poorer sleep quality. Also, sleep quality was strongly associated with somatic and cognitive pre-sleep arousal. Regarding the predictors of sleep and sleep-related measures, depressive and event-related stress symptoms were the main factors associated with both poor sleep quality and pre-sleep arousal components. Moreover, specific sociodemographic and environmental variables were uniquely related to sleep quality, cognitive or somatic pre-sleep arousal.
These findings suggest that the assessment of specific sleep-related factors (ie, pre-sleep arousal), together with more global measures of sleep quality, may be crucial to depict the complex impact of the pandemic on sleep, and to help prevent and counteract the spread of insomnia symptoms.
Mathematical modelling of sleep and sleepiness under various watch keeping schedules in the maritime industry
2021, Marine Policy
Ships typically operate on a 24/7 basis giving rise to a wide variety of working time arrangements and watch keeping schedules. Typically, these can be divided into 2-watch systems (where two watch keepers/teams share the 24-h period) and 3-watch systems (where three watch keepers/teams share the 24-h period). The current study uses the three-process model of alertness regulation to compare these systems in terms of the amount of severe sleepiness that is predicted to take place on watch and the amount of sleep that is predicted to occur while off watch. Separate predictions are calculated for individuals characterised as morning and evening chronotypes. Comparing 2-watch systems, highest levels of severe sleepiness were seen for evening types working 0000–1200 within the 12on12off system. The longest sleep per 24 h day was also found for evening types, but for those working the 1200–0000 watch within the 12on12off system. Total daily sleep duration ranged between 268 and 445 min. However, the picture is complex and the lowest risk of severe sleepiness while on watch is not necessarily correlated with the maximal time available for rest and recuperation when off watch. For 3-watch systems, the “five-and-dime” system (changeover times: 02-07-12-17-22) stands out having the lowest prevalence of severe sleepiness on watch and the longest amount of predicted daily sleep off watch. Considerable differences exist between morning and evening types offering the opportunity for considerable improvement in sleep amount for fixed (but not rotating) systems when individual chronotype is considered in watch scheduling. It is concluded that 3-watch systems, although economically costlier, have clear advantages over 2-watch systems, but that a perfect system that fits all does not exist due to the considerable impact of individual differences related to sleep/wake regulation.
Facilitating Complex Product Choices on E-commerce Sites: An Unconscious Thought and Circadian Preference Perspective
2020, Decision Support Systems
E-commerce consumers often face complex product choices and have to make decisions at various times of the day. Extant research has primarily focused on providing decision aids and eliminating “distracting” features to help consumers' conscious thought when making complex decisions. Our research adopts a novel perspective that consumers' unconscious thought may have some advantages and be exploited to help consumers make complex purchase decisions, especially when one's circadian preference (optimal time of day for decision-making, e.g., morning vs. evening) is not met. Drawing on the Unconscious Thought Theory (UTT), we developed two hypotheses regarding the effects of consumers' unconscious thought and its interaction with consumer circadian preference on decision quality. A controlled experiment was conducted to test our hypotheses. The findings show that unconscious thought outperforms conscious thought for making complex product choices in general and such effects are amplified when there is an asynchrony between one's circadian preference and the time of decision. The new circadian synchrony perspective enriches our understanding of the effects of unconscious thought on decision-making, helps explain the somewhat mixed findings in prior work on UTT, and thus contributes back to the UTT literature. The findings have implications about how unconscious thought can be leveraged to facilitate online shopping, and underscores the importance of considering consumer's circadian preference and time of decision.

View all citing articles on Scopus

^∗: To whom reprint requests should be addressed.

View full text

Circadian typology and individual differences. A review

Abstract

Personality and Individual Differences

International Journal of Psychophysiology

Personality and Individual Differences

Personality and Individual Differences

Biological Psychology

Personality and Individual Differences

Personality and Individual Differences

Personality and Individual Differences

Personality and Individual Differences

Adaptation and standardization of a Spanish version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire: individual differences

Personality and Individual Differences

Sex structure

Changes in morningness-eveningness scores during adolescence and their relationship to sleep/wake disturbances

Chronobiologia

A self-evaluation questionnaire for the determination of morningness-eveningness types in Brazil

Chronobiologia

Cronopsicofisiología del ritmo circadiano de activación durante la vigilia

Usual meal times in relation to age, sex, work activity and morningness-eveningness

Chronobiologia

Circadian characteristics influencing interindividual differences in tolerance and adjustment to shiftwork

Ergonomics

Entrainment of human circadian rhythms by light-dark cycles: a reassessment

Photochemistry and Photobiology

Personality, time of day and caffeine: some theoretical and conceptual problems

Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Toward a predictive test of adjustment to shift work

Ergonomics

Diurnal variations in performance and related physiological processes

Psychological Bulletin

Physical fitness and other individual factors relating to the shiftwork tolerance of women

Chronobiology International

Circadian response to night work in relation to the individual circadian phase position

International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health

A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms

International Journal of Chronobiology

Investigation of the children's version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire with primary and junior high school pupils in Japan

Perceptual and Motor Skills

Interindividual differences of circadian rhythms in worker sample: differences in work system and aging with respect to morning and evening types

Studies in: Family Life Management, Child Welfare, Food and Nutrition

Comparison of sleep-wake habits of morning and evening types in Japanese worker sample

Journal of Human Ergonomics

Morningness-eveningness preference and sleep habits in Japanese office workers of different ages

Chronobiologia