Ben Franklin May Have Been Wrong About Being Nocturnal
Ben Franklin’s saying “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” may actually not have a scientific basis. 
It may be true that people who go to sleep late at night, are nocturnal by nature, tend to not only be more productive, but they may actually be more intelligent.
All mammals, including humans, exhibit aspects of the circadian rhythm, with the “rhythm” being regulated by two clusters of nerve cells that signal a person’s biological clock to go to sleep and to wake up. However, humans have the distinct ability to override the circadian rhythm, with many people being “night owls” and some people being “morning larks”. There’s also an evolutionary basis to the circadian rhythm, as humans are naturally diurnal animals, who will only be at risk of predation by nocturnal animals. However, ancient man and modern humans who don’t sleep as much, or who stay up late at night, might have been evolutionary pioneers.
Intelligent people may simply not need as much sleep. Intelligent people tend to be particularly talented at delegating tasks, allowing them to be particularly efficient throughout the day. Not only that, but a Belgium research has noted that early birds actually became weary and stressed after sleeping more than seven hours a night. However, this wasn’t true for people who stay up later. This may suggest that more intelligent people simply do not need extensive sleep sessions, or tend to be noctural.
Staying up late at night may equate to higher IQ’s. A study done by the London School of Economics and Political Science has found a correlation between adaptive behaviors and intelligence. The research showed that more intelligent people are more likely to grow nocturnal over time.
The night might have allowed the ancient man a chance to be creative. Night owl sometimes struggle to sleep, and the nighttime may be the opportune time for inspiration and solitude. During this time, people simply tend to contemplate, making them more strategic thinkers. Even though the modern man has many distractions, ancient humans that stayed up late might’ve shown more inquisitive traits, allowing them to be interested in the world around them.
Intelligent people and the savanna IQ interaction hypothesis. In laymen’s terms, this hypothesis notes that smarter people are actually able to deal with evolutionary novel activities much more readily. These “evolutionary novel activities” may include staying up late and being less intimidated with late-night events and activities that might turn off people who sleep early. The “savanna theory of happiness” also notes that intelligent people tend to spend less time with friends. Even though it may be a social faux pas to be a social outsider, these theories perpetuate the idea that intelligent people tend to have an independent streak, managing their lives with confidence.
Night owls tend to be much more productive at night. Night owls have the opportunity to socialize or to use their time to work because of the surge of energy that they experience in the evening.
Night owls tend to be more open-minded and proactive. Many things happen at night with smart people, whether it’s studying late at night, writing a piece of compelling prose, or geniuses having their breakthrough; the night seems to be the perfect opportunity for intelligent people to have some sort of discovery.