Why 'morning people' are more unethical in the night

Psychologists found that “morning people” have different levels of honesty depending on the time of day.

17:17 17 July 2014

In a study, which aims to establish links between making ethical choices and internal clocks, psychologists found that “morning people” or early risers are more likely to cheat and behave unethically in the night hours.

One of the US researchers from Harvard University said that this had “implications for workplaces.”

The research involved the examination of the behaviour of 200 individuals who were asked to take part in problem-solving tests and games to measure their honesty.

The study entitled The Morality of Larks and Owls, found that while early risers are most ethical in the morning, the “owls” were more likely to be honest at night.  The dishonesty was found to be heightened when respondents were taking the exams outside of their preferred time of the day.

The study reports: "In the morning, evening people are more unethical than morning people."

It found that "ethical behaviour arises when people 'match' their situations".

Prof Sah, assistant professor of business ethics at Georgetown University as well as a research fellow at Harvard, said that the findings have major repercussions for workplaces relying on ethical decisions and honesty.