Blame it on the "night owls": Perceived discrimination partly mediates the effects of morningness-eveningness on positive and negative affect.

The well-established effects of evening preference on diminished well-being and poorer mental health are usually explained in terms of common genetic bases of eveningness and negative emotionality and/or the discrepancy between biological and social clocks, experienced far more frequently by the Evening-types. However, recent studies provide evidence for the negative stereotyping of evening chronotypes which may lead to unexpectedly pronounced social stigma and its consequences. The present article provides a seminal empirical analysis of the role of perceived chronotype-related discrimination in the association between morningness-eveningness and both positive affect and negative affect. The study was conducted on a gender-balanced sample of 768 individuals aged between 18 and 56 years who filled measures of morningness-eveningness, positive and negative affect, as well as a modified version of the Perceived Devaluation Discrimination scale, tentatively labeled Perceived Chronotype-Related Discrimination scale (https://osf.io/urs8x/), developed to measure the sense of chronotype-based discrimination. Conducted analyses provided evidence for a positive association between eveningness and perceived discrimination. Moreover, perceived discrimination partly mediated the associations between morningness-eveningness and both positive affect and negative affect, explaining 18% and 29% of these effects, respectively. Hence, our results provide initial evidence for yet another mechanism through which chronotype may impact emotional functioning, namely the experience of chronotype-based stigmatisation.

Why do owls have it worse? Mediating role of self-perceptions in the links between diurnal preference and features of mental health.

Recent research provides evidence for the negative social perceptions of evening chronotypes and their consequences on mental health. However, there is a lack of studies indicating whether these negative, socially shared beliefs may become internalized in negative self-perceptions of evening-types (E-types). The present article provides a seminal empirical analysis of the role of self-liking and self-competence in the associations between chronotype and both depressiveness and well-being. In the first part of the study, the participants completed the Composite Scale of Morningness. On the basis of the chronotype cut-off criteria for Composite Scale of Morningness distribution, 100 individuals were classified as morning-types (M-types) and 66 individuals as E-types. Therefore, 166 participants (80 women and 86 men) aged 18-36 years (M ± SD: 29.27 ± 4.81 years) took part in the second part of the study, and completed questionnaires measuring self-liking, self-competence, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and depressiveness. Results show that E-types scored lower in self-liking, self-competence and subjective well-being, and higher in depressive symptoms than M-types. Controlling for age and gender, we obtained significant mediation effects, showing that the relationship between chronotype and subjective well-being might stem from the lower levels of self-liking and self-competence among E-types, and that the relationship between chronotype and depressive symptoms might stem from the lower level of self-liking among E-types. Our results suggest that self-liking and self-competence are important antecedents of lower well-being and higher depressiveness reported by E-types. Socially shared stereotypes of M-types and E-types can be internalized by the extreme chronotypes, which may significantly affect their psychological health.

Exploring the associations between the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) and the higher-order personality factors.

Morningness-eveningness refers to individual differences in the sleep-wake cycle. Research indicates that morningness-eveningness is associated with the Big Five (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness) and the Big Two (alpha-stability, beta-plasticity) personality factors. However, the latter has not yet been tested within the multidimensional approach to morningness-eveningness. In the present study, we have adapted the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) to Polish (https://osf.io/rcxb5) to explore the associations between its subscales (morning affect, eveningness, distinctness) and the Big Two personality traits in a sample of 1106 participants (559 women and 547 men) aged 18 to 55 (M = 36.26, SD = 9.90). In bivariate correlations, morning affect was positively related to alpha-stability and beta-plasticity, distinctness was correlated negatively with alpha-stability and beta-plasticity, while eveningness was positively correlated only with beta-plasticity. Furthermore, the confirmatory factor analysis supported the original three-factor structure of the Polish version of MESSi, while the associations with affect and the symptoms of depression and anxiety attested to its validity. Overall, the present study provides the first evidence for the associations between MESSi subscales and the Big Two personality traits, as well as shows a good fit of the three-factor structure of MESSi in the Polish population.

Godless owls, devout larks: Religiosity and conscientiousness are associated with morning preference and (partly) explain its effects on life satisfaction.

The associations between morningness-eveningness, conscientiousness, and religiosity have not been investigated to date. The aim of the present research was to provide evidence for the relationships between these dimensions. Moreover, we tested whether the well-established link between morningness and life satisfaction could be explained by elevated religiosity of morning-oriented individuals and whether this relationship may be mediated by conscientiousness. The investigation was conducted on two independent samples of Polish adults (N = 500 and N = 728). Our results corroborated earlier findings that morningness was positively associated with both conscientiousness and satisfaction with life. We also found evidence for a significant positive association between morningness and religiosity. Moreover, controlling for age and gender, we obtained significant mediation effects showing that the association between morningness-eveningness and satisfaction with life might stem, at least in part, from the higher religiosity among morning-oriented individuals, also when conscientiousness was included in the model. It means that more morning-oriented individuals may benefit from higher psychological well-being thanks to both personality characteristics and attitudes towards religion.

The moderating role of dispositional mindfulness in the associations of morningness-eveningness with depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Several studies have shown that eveningness is positively related to both depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, little is known about factors that may play a protective role against the undesirable emotional consequences of evening preference. Thus, in the present study, we explored the moderating effects of dispositional mindfulness on the relationship between morningness-eveningness and the presence of depressive symptoms, as well as between morningness-eveningness and the presence of anxiety symptoms. The study was conducted on a group of 1107 individuals (559 women and 548 men) aged 18-55 years (M = 36.26, SD = 9.89). Consistent with previous findings, eveningness was positively related to the presence of both depressive and anxiety symptoms. The magnitude of these effects decreased with higher dispositional mindfulness. The latter result remained significant when the analogical moderating effects of personality, established in earlier studies, were controlled for in the regression models. This leads to the conclusion that dispositional mindfulness may act as a protective factor against the elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms reported by evening-oriented individuals.

God save the owls! Religiosity moderates the relationship between morningness-eveningness and depressive symptoms.

Studies show that eveningness preference and depressive symptoms are positively related. However, little is known about possible factors that could reduce this association. In the present study, we examine the moderating effects of religiosity on the relationship between eveningness and depressive symptoms. The main analyses were conducted on a group of 606 individuals (300 women and 306 men) aged 18 to 36 years (M = 29.00, SD = 4.95). The participants completed the Composite Scale of Morningness, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Centrality of Religiosity Scale. Our results confirmed earlier findings that eveningness was positively related to depressive symptoms. The magnitude of this association decreased with higher religiosity. This lead to the conclusion that religiosity may act as a protective factor against elevated depressive symptoms among evening-oriented individuals.

Analyzing social perception of chronotypes within the stereotype content model.

In the present article, we attempted to analyze the social perceptions of morning and evening chronotypes using the framework of the stereotype content model which posits that all social impressions and group stereotypes form along two basic dimensions: warmth and competence. The participants (N = 1277; 53% women) completed the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) and a questionnaire measuring beliefs about social perceptions of Morning-types and Evening-types. Bottom 10%, middle 20% and top 10% of the CSM distribution (N = 501 individuals) were selected as representatives of 'pure' chronotypes: evening ('E-types'), intermediate ('N-types') and morning ('M-types'). In the entire sample, M-types were perceived as markedly more competent and marginally warmer than E-types. When we took into account the perceivers' own chronotypes, only the perceptions reported by N-types were consistent with that pattern. M-type perceivers displayed analogic albeit markedly stronger positive views of their ingroups, whereas E-types believed that individuals sharing their diurnal preference are equally competent but more warm compared to M-types. It seems that social perceptions of chronotypes emerge as a composition of two effects: the socially shared stereotype (emphasizing high competence of M-types) and ingroup-serving biases, resulting in viewing people sharing the perceiver's own chronotype in a more favorable way.

Social support mediates the effect of morningness on changes in subjective well-being over 6 months.

Studies show that morningness is positively associated with subjective well-being. Our previous research investigated factors that could underlie this relationship, finding that the association between morningness-eveningness and subjective well-being can be partially attributed to the higher levels of perceived social support received by morning-oriented individuals. In the present study, we examine the longitudinal effects of perceived social support in mediating the relationship between morningness-eveningness and subjective well-being. Our results show that this mediating effect remains significant with respect to changes in well-being over a 6-month period. It seems that the causal effect of morningness on well-being may be partially mediated by the causal effect of social support. The findings provide further support for the conclusion that perceived social support is an important contributing factor to the greater well-being reported by morning-oriented individuals. Additionally, our results provide seminal evidence for the causal effect of morningness on well-being.

The moderating role of personality traits in the associations between seasonal fluctuations in chronotype and depressive symptoms.

Recent research provided evidence that the well-established association between morningness-eveningness and depressive symptoms may be moderated by personality features - conscientiousness and neuroticism. In the present study, we attempted to broaden these findings using a longitudinal design. We hypothesized that these personality traits may influence the degree to which morningness-eveningness and depressiveness covary in time. Participants (n = 380) filled measures of morningness-eveningness, the Big Five personality, and depressive symptoms twice, in December and in June. Consistent with previous results, we observed a significant seasonal shift towards morningness and lower depressive symptoms from December to June. Seasonal shifts in chronotype and depressive symptoms were interrelated: a seasonal shift towards morningness was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms. The strength of this association was exaggerated by neuroticism but attenuated by conscientiousness, suggesting that among neurotic individuals seasonal changes in depressive symptomatology are more dependent on seasonal shifts in morningness-eveningness but less dependent among conscientious ones. This result suggests that conscientiousness and emotional stability play a protective role against maladaptive consequences of eveningness.