Do all larks have it better and owls have it worse? Examining the adaptiveness of circadian types in light of the Circumplex of Personality Metatraits

Chronotype differences have traditionally been studied through a unidimensional morningness-eveningness model, linking morningness with positive (adaptive) outcomes and eveningness with negative (maladaptive) ones. This study expands this view using a multidimensional approach, assessing Morning Affect, Eveningness, and Distinctness. Latent Profile Analysis was conducted on a sample of 754 Polish adults, and differences between the resulting profiles were examined using the Circumplex of Personality Metatraits to assess underlying (mal)adaptive personality configurations. The analysis revealed four chronotype profile, two morning types: ‘hardy larks’ (stable, adaptive) and ‘vulnerable larks’ (restrained, inhibited), ‘night owls’ (depressive, emotionally labile) and ‘intermediate finches’ (disinhibited, reactive). These findings indicate that chronotype is indeed a multidimensional construct, with its subtypes reflecting distinct constellations of (mal)adaptive personality traits.