Research finds people who stay up late are more intelligent than early risers

They say the early bird catches the worm, however, new research has suggested that it might be more beneficial to be a night owl.

There are some people for whom getting up early is the perfect way to start the day - then there are some for whom such an early start is nothing short of hell on earth.

But now it seems that the 'rise and grind' crowd are in for a shock as a new study has been published comparing the two groups, comprising of 26,000 people, in terms of intelligence.

It looked at each group's ability to carry out cognitive tests and intelligence test - with some surprising results.

New research indicates that people who stay up late are more intelligent than early risers (mapo / Getty)

The research was led by academics at Imperial College London, where survey participants were asked to complete tests in reasoning, intelligence, memory, and reaction times.

Researchers then examined various factors around the subjects, including the quality and duration of sleep, as well as the participants' chronotype.

This refers to the time of day when someone feels most or least alert, like a circadian rhythm.

The results seemed to indicate that people who go to bed later and get up later performed better on the tests.

And history gives this theory a big precedent as well, with writer James Joyce, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Barack Obama all reportedly sleeping late.

However, while it might be tempting to start delaying your bedtime, the study also says that getting enough shut eye is important for your brain function.

Getting up early is not for everyone. (John Lamb / Getty)

Lead author and clinical research fellow at the department of surgery and cancer at Imperial College, Raha West said, as per The Guardian: "We found that sleep duration has a direct effect on brain function, and we believe that proactively managing sleep patterns is really important for boosting, and safeguarding, the way our brains work.

“We’d ideally like to see policy interventions to help sleep patterns improve in the general population.”

Nonetheless there is still some scepticism about the conclusion, with Jacqui Hanley from Alzheimer's Research UK telling The Guardian that it was unclear whether it was a change sleep pattern affecting cognition or the other way.

While Jessica Chelekis, a senior lecturer in sustainability global value chains and sleep expert at Brunel University London, said there were 'important limitations' to the study as it did not account for the time the tests were taken or educational attainment, as the main value of the study was to challenge stereotypes around sleep.

But it's not just going bed later that is an indication of intelligence - if you swear like a sailor, then you are likely smarter too, according to a 2014 study.