Early Afternoon May Be the Best Time to Solve Problems
Researchers from Monash University and the University of Granada have found that early afternoon may be the best time of day to do tasks that involve problem-solving.
The study, published by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, looked at more than 500,000 exam results from university students in the UK. The exams took place from 2014 to 2019 at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Researchers found that those taking exams in STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math — had an average advantage of 5% in exams at 1:30 p.m. However, for students taking exams in humanities subjects, such as history or languages, there was no change in results at different times of day.
Researchers think this is because STEM subjects involve tasks that require a type of thinking known as "fluid intelligence," which is affected by the time of day. Fluid intelligence refers to the ability to reason and solve problems.
For people at work, this means they may do better at tasks that require this type of thinking — like coding or taking part in meetings — in the early afternoon. Other tasks, however, can be done at any time of day.
Other experts say the best time of day to do things is different if you're a morning or an evening person. Morning people feel more awake and can focus better earlier in the day, while evening people work better later in the day or at night.
