Why are some of us morning persons? A new study might finally have an answer
Are you a morning person? Or are you one of one of those night owls who prefers to make fun of someone who wakes up when you're heading to bed? Whatever you may be, it looks like scientists have finally found out the reason behind a percentage of the humanity that likes waking up in the wee hours of the morning.
What
A recent study suggests that the genetic legacy passed down from Neanderthal ancestors might be linked to the inclination of certain people in today's day and age to be "morning people" - individuals who find it easier or natural to wake early and nod off early.
In case you weren't aware, Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are an extinct species of archaic humans that lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ago. They are our closest known human relatives.
Here's how it happened
- Scientists from the University of California in San Francisco analyzed DNA from both contemporary humans and Neanderthals, specifically focusing on genes that regulate human circadian rhythms, or body clocks.
- They discovered that these genes tended to enhance the propensity to be a morning person.
- While most of the genes obtained by modern humans through ancient interbreeding have been eliminated by evolution, it's highly likely that they initially aided early humans in adapting to the new environment when they departed from Africa to Eurasia.
- To further validate their discoveries, the scientists consulted the UK Biobank and looked through the data from more than 500,000 individuals.
- The investigation corroborated that a significant number of individuals harboured these genetic variations linked to early rising, again reinforcing the correlation between Neanderthal genetic traits and the inclination towards early morning behaviour.
Does this mean that if you're a morning person, you have more in common with Neanderthals than with your own kin? Probably not. There are a plethora of other cultural, environmental and social factors at play of course.
But you could most definitely do yourself a favour and get those extra hours of snoozing in if you tried.