Beautiful NIght

“Strange things blow in through my window on the wings of the night wind and I don't worry about my destiny.” -  Carl Sandburg

“Most glorious night! Thou wert not sent for slumber!” – Lord Byron

“The stars are forth, the moon above the tops of the snow-shining mountains--beautiful! I linger       yet with nature, for the night hath been to me a more familiar face than that of man; and in her starry shade of dim and solitary loveliness I learned the language of another world.” – Lord Byron

As readers of this column may recall, I am a night lover. The winter solstice marks an ancient tradition to celebrate the birth of Mithra, a Persian angel of light and truth. Different versions of the tradition celebrate the sun and the coming of longer days. That’s not why I celebrate it. I celebrate it as an occasion to revel in the longest night and mourn the coming of longer days.

            I love the night with its soothing darkness, its calm silence, its security, its soft touch, and its cool fresh smell. It even has a rich moist taste. Night heightens all five senses, but what else makes it special? 

            Before I retired, I had people in my face all day long. Bosses wanted more, employees needed help, or colleagues came for support. At night it all stopped. I might receive a call at home, but they were usually from family or friends who just wanted to talk. For me, daytime brought stress and nighttime brought peace.

            Even though retirement made days stress free, I still associate the night with pleasant things. My little house has 41 lights; 38 on dimmers. Their soft golden glow puts a smile on my face and peace in my heart every night, without fail. It is a feeling not quite duplicated by anything that happens during the day.

            Night owls and early birds have different personality characteristics and, on the whole, the daylight folks seem to have more sanity on their side. Vollmer and Randler (2012) found that morning people are governed more by social values, are less open to change, more agreeable, and more conscientious. On the other hand, night lovers are more individualistic, open to change, and slightly neurotic.

Roberts and Kyllonen (1999) reported that night people are slightly more intelligent and have better cognitive performance late in the day and evening, while day people show optimum cognitive ability earlier in the day. Chelminski and his colleagues discovered night owls were more likely to be depressed, and Collins (2009) at the University of Alberta found that the physical strength of morning people stayed level throughout the day but declined in the evening. On the other hand, evening people became physically stronger throughout the day

            More recently, Jonason, Jones and Lyons (2013) reported that night people showed a greater tendency to be characterized by the Dark Triad, a description given to people who score high on measures of narcissism (self-centeredness), psychopathology (serious mental disturbance), and Machiavellianism (a tendency to be manipulative). They use this reasoning to suggest that night people are more often among the criminal element of society. This may be due to the fact that most crimes are committed at night and the people most likely to be up and around at night are the night owls, looking for God knows what.

            I can’t really speak to this last issue. Despite being an avowed night owl, I’ve never committed or been charged with a crime. In fact, my late night mood is a combination of alert, mellow, and happy with no tendency for trouble making. But there is no doubt I fit the category in other respects. I am more awake at night. At about 9 PM I’m frequently in an especially good mood. I’m more likely to see humour in ordinary events, laugh out loud, talk to myself, and be more animated all-round. I write more at night; I seem to be more creative then. And, I definitely go to bed and get up much later than most people I know.

            If you are like Byron or Sandburg, I hope you revel in each new night. But, whether you’re a day or night person, enjoy it to the fullest, and live well between your ears. 

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