Research shows that night owls–those who burn the midnight oil–tend to score higher in certain types of intelligence tests. Last year a study out of the University of Madrid showed that the night owls were often better performers on tests that measured inductive reasoning–which is one of the key factors currently used to measure intelligence. (The study considered teenagers only.)
But say you’re a Ben Franklin sort–and like Ben you believe the early bird gets the worm. Good news for you: early birds get better grades in school. Which either proves that intelligence has nothing to do with grades, or that we don’t really know how to measure intelligence. Measuring intelligence has always been controversial, so getting good grades remains one of the best outward indicators of a hard work ethic meeting smarts. And probably the best precursor to success in general. Set your alarm, kids!
