People Who Hate Daylight Saving Time Almost Always Have These Highly Intelligent Personality Traits
David Pacheco Ovalle / Shutterstock While daylight saving time, or DST, was enacted to create more energy, sunlight, and time in the day for the average person, experts from Johns Hopkins University suggest that it doesn’t always play out that way. In fact, for most people, the overnight shift in their circadian rhythm tends to sabotage their energy levels and overall well-being.
However, people who hate daylight saving time almost always have several highly intelligent personality traits, on top of protecting their sleep and rest on a daily basis. Whether it’s craving alone time that’s pressured out by longer days into the summer, or protecting their daily routines, intelligent people are more likely to dislike and oppose this “spring forward."
People who hate daylight saving time almost always have 11 highly intelligent personality traits
1. They’re morning people
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
“Night owl” behavior into the early morning hours tends to sabotage mental health and general well-being, according to a study from Stanford Medicine. That’s why being a self-proclaimed morning person who crafts an intentional routine centered on early bedtimes and morning routines is so influential for overall well-being, as well as for intelligence.
However, following daylight saving and the “spring forward,” morning people are now operating in darkness at the beginning of their days and struggling to fall asleep in partial light at night.
It’s not just about missing an hour of sleep on the day our clocks spring forward, but experiencing a prolonged annoyance about darkness in the morning, while others enjoy the extra light when they’re getting ready for bed. Tailored toward nighttime activity during this busy season of life.
2. They’re protective of their sleep
New Africa | Shutterstock.com
According to a study published in the WIRES Cognitive Science journal, sleep quality and duration are often directly tied to a person’s cognitive processes, such as memory and concentration during waking hours. The less sleep a person has, the less intelligent habits and processes they can effectively appreciate throughout the day.
While sleep itself isn’t necessarily an indicator of a person’s intelligence, protecting sleep quality and rest in a daily routine predicts the well-being and performance of intelligent people. The more intentional they are with a healthy bedtime routine and getting enough sleep, the more annoyed they likely are with a “spring forward” time shift that sabotages their circadian rhythm.
3. They’re reflective
PeopleImages | Shutterstock.com
Being a reflective person isn’t just about intelligence and learning. It’s also about becoming a better leader, person, and friend. The more comfortable someone is sitting with their own thoughts and reflecting, even when it’s uncomfortable, the more grounded and intentional they can become.
However, if someone is incredibly attuned to their body and mind, regularly reflecting on how they feel and their routines, there’s also a chance they hate daylight saving time. They immediately notice the shift in their natural circadian rhythm and the lack of sleep on the first day, and can’t help but notice how the darkness in the morning affects their entire day.
4. They challenge pre-existing norms
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
The question of whether daylight saving time is important or healthy is a constantly evolving web of information. It’s a norm that the most intelligent people also feed into, challenging things we’ve collectively accepted as “inevitable” and pushing back on routines that don’t actually promote a healthier lifestyle.
According to a study from Stanford Medicine, these intelligent people are right to push back, because for most people, daylight saving time is acutely bad for our health, on top of being relatively inconvenient.
5. They follow an intentional routine
Rawpixel.com | Shutterstock
Many intelligent people are inherently protective of their routines because they support their well-being and overall health. They understand their needs, reflect on how they can meet them, and cultivate intentional routines and habits. Whether it’s a bedtime routine or alone time after a stressful day, they need these moments to feel sane and grounded.
Unfortunately, as a study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine has shown, the disruptions that daylight saving time has on the average routine cause unhealthy changes to physical activity, sleep, and general well-being.
Of course, an intelligent person who’s incredibly protective of a routine they’ve thoughtfully curated is going to be frustrated when it’s thrown off and sabotaged by a social norm that’s not entirely necessary.
6. They appreciate quiet time at the end of the day
f.t. Photographer | Shutterstock.com
With daylight saving time, longer days, and summer around the corner, intelligent people who need alone time at night to reflect and regulate themselves are often annoyed. Whether it’s a pressure to be out of the house, saying “yes” to plans, or taking advantage of the sunshine they’re no longer getting in the morning, this time of year brings a lot of obligations, rather than peace and external permission to rest.
Especially considering this alone time boosts well-being and general health, especially for intelligent people who know how to thoughtfully craft it, missing it in favor of too many obligations or social pressures can lead to internal resentment.
7. They’re deep thinkers
PeopleImages | Shutterstock.com
While the average person can often chalk up an inconvenience to “the way things are” and distract themselves from acknowledging the annoyances of longstanding traditions like daylight saving time, intelligent people are challengers and deep thinkers at their core.
If they’re being negatively impacted by something, especially something as important as sleep, they’re naturally going to dive deeper into it. They’re going to find research that supports the downsides of the “spring forward” and take on even more frustration that it’s not going anywhere, despite its pitfalls.
8. They’re efficient
Geber86 | Shutterstock.com
Part of the reason why intelligent people are often efficient is that they lead with cognitive process rather than emotional impulses, according to a study published in the Intelligence journal. They work with systems, structure, and routine to influence their cognitive processes and protect their productivity, which is why they also often hate daylight saving time, which sabotages their sleep.
They immediately notice a shift in their overall well-being, concentration, and mood after the “spring forward,” making every other aspect of their life that much more difficult to manage in the following weeks.
9. They’re socially aware of other people’s energy
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV | Shutterstock.com
If someone’s socially aware, they’re often observant and intuitive in the ways that intelligent people are. They notice people’s energy, feel pressured to shift their own habits to accommodate environmental vibes, and know how to read a room.
So, it’s no wonder that they hate daylight saving time. Everyone is tired, grumpy, and frustrated, even with longer days and more sunshine at night, because they’re coping with a shift in their sleeping schedule that’s harder to accommodate than it seems. They can’t ignore it, because they’re already tapped into social energy and the moods of their peers on an innate level.
10. They’re practical
I.K.Media | Shutterstock.com
Intelligent people are often pessimistic, largely because they’re self-proclaimed realists who see the world, and all of its flaws, on a deeper, more analytical, and practical level. Even norms like daylight saving\ are viewed through the anticipation of exhaustion or shifting their schedule, even if things like sunshine and longer days are also coming.
So, they hate daylight saving because they struggle to see only the “good side” of the time change, especially when the negatives greatly impact something as important as their sleep schedule.
11. They notice patterns
PeopleImages | Shutterstock.com
Whether it’s analytically connecting the dots between abstract topics and concepts or simply noticing how their sleep shifts and changes after certain habits, people who are naturally intelligent notice patterns. They connect dots and think deeply about things, compared to the average person who’d prefer to distract themselves or simply accept something without much critical thought.
They hate daylight saving time because it’s impossible to ignore the shift in their schedules and routines that comes from losing one hour of sleep. On top of that, the negative shift in their circadian rhythm leaves them thrown off for weeks.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
