Morningness-Eveningness (Circadian Typology)
Also known as: Chronotype · MEQ framework · Circadian preference
Framework describing the stable individual difference in the phase of the internal clock: when a person's body prefers to sleep, wake, eat and perform. Horne and Östberg (1976) built the first self-assessment of morningness-eveningness and validated it against a physiological marker, the circadian rhythm of oral temperature, with morning types peaking significantly earlier than evening types. Chronotype is continuous rather than binary — most people fall between the extremes — and it shifts across the lifespan, running late in adolescence and drifting earlier through adulthood. It is a preference of phase, distinct from sleep quality, sleep duration and sleep disorders.
- Source:
- Horne, J. A., & Östberg, O. (1976). A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms. International Journal of Chronobiology, 4(2), 97-110.
Constructs
Morningness
The position of a person's internal clock on the morning-to-evening continuum: how early the body wants to wake, when sleep actually arrives, and when mind and muscles reach their best (Horne & Östberg, 1976). Morning and evening types differ in the timing of body temperature, melatonin and alertness, not in discipline. The middle is not indecision — intermediate types are the most common and the most flexible about schedule — and the position shifts across the lifespan rather than being fixed.
Instruments
- NOESIS Chronotype ScaleNOESIS2026