Diurnal and seasonal mood vary with work, sleep, and daylength across diverse cultures

Science. 2011 Sep 30;333(6051):1878-81. doi: 10.1126/science.1202775.

Abstract

We identified individual-level diurnal and seasonal mood rhythms in cultures across the globe, using data from millions of public Twitter messages. We found that individuals awaken in a good mood that deteriorates as the day progresses--which is consistent with the effects of sleep and circadian rhythm--and that seasonal change in baseline positive affect varies with change in daylength. People are happier on weekends, but the morning peak in positive affect is delayed by 2 hours, which suggests that people awaken later on weekends.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Affect*
  • Blogging*
  • Circadian Rhythm*
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison*
  • Humans
  • Seasons*
  • Sleep
  • Work*