A new study is connecting early rising to greater religiosity in people, as well as increased satisfaction. The study was conducted by the University of Warsaw and sought to investigate the correlations between what it called “morning-eveningness,” religiosity, and conscientiousness. Conscientiousness is defined as the trait of being meticulous, careful, or scrupulous. The study focused on two groups of Polish adults who were sent surveys based on the individuals’ preference for mornings, whether they were satisfied with their life, and how conscientious they were. The two groups also received different questions about belief in God and religiosity. 

The study found that early risers scored higher in all areas of religiosity. Subsequently, researchers used this information to draw connections between increased religiosity in morning people and heightened conscientiousness and life satisfaction. The study also showed a correlation between being religious and getting up early due to some religious practices like early morning prayers and meditations. Overall, it seemed that conscientiousness, religiosity, life satisfaction, and early rising had a symbiotic relationship, with each feeding into the other. Researchers concluded that people who are conscientious tend to wake up early, and conscientiousness is often influenced by religion. The study, however, did not discover any direct cause-and-effect relationships. Study authors released a statement saying, “The association between ‘morningness-eveningness’ and satisfaction with life might stem, at least in part, from higher religiosity among morning-oriented individuals. It means that more morning-oriented individuals may benefit from higher psychological well-being thanks to both personality characteristics and attitudes toward religion.”

 The practice of rising early has often been encouraged in the Christian faith as a way of starting off the day in prayer and Bible study. Writing for Desiring God, David Mathis discussed how Jesus would rise early to spend time with the Lord. “What we do first thing in the morning, over time, says a lot about our true priorities. In general, we have our best energy in the mornings, after we’ve just slept, once we’re fully awake. To what or to whom will we give the first fruits of each day’s time and attention?” Mathis wrote. He pointed out the many times throughout the Bible when Jesus and others would choose to rise early. Mathis noted that rising early came with a sense of purpose, a sense of trying to fulfill a task. “It is fitting that when Jesus rose from the dead, he rose early. He had something to do. There would be no sleeping in when the new age was dawning. He rose with purpose. He rose early.”