Studies show that people who wake up early are happier than those who sleep late. There are several reasons why this makes sense. First, you get more Vitamin D when you are exposed to longer periods of daylight (and Vitamin D deficiencies are linked to depression). Second, you get more done during the day. And third, you feel like you are a contributing member of society, which makes you feel better about yourself.
So how does waking up early and feeling happier save you money? Well, happy people spend less money on unnecessary items than unhappy people do. Oftentimes, unhappy people spend money on something to make themselves feel better. This is otherwise known as emotional spending. When we are depressed, we often buy things to make us feel loved and deserving of nice things. This emotional spending comes with a hangover in the form of buyer’s remorse and bills. Waking up early contributes to happiness and decreases the urge to spend emotionally.
An added benefit of waking up early is that you will feel tired by the time the evening comes around and you will most likely not feel the need to go out. Let’s face it. It’s expensive to go out at night. Dinners, movies, bars, whatever you may be into. If it happens at night, it’s probably not cheap. If you are too tired to go out, your wallet will thank you.
