Rhythm and Cues
Want to boost academic and career success? Try catnaps, sing-alongs, and other strategies that sync with the body’s natural clock.
Review by Robin Tatu
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
By Daniel H. Pink.
Penguin, 2018. 260 pages.
Forget about location. According to Daniel Pink, timing is everything: mornings for analysis; evenings for creative musing; and midlife for new direction and focus. In his latest book, Pink, a journalist and bestselling author of popular science topics, highlights studies of biological cycles to help readers understand and capitalize upon them. Afternoon—the slump point of our 24-hour circadian cycle—is the perfect time for a 25-minute nap. And while it may seem counterintuitive, downing a cup of joe just before dozing keeps that sleep productive: you wake when the caffeine kicks in, and with a boost of energy. The author recommends doing so daily, whenever possible.
The impact of circadian rhythms on humans has long fascinated the public and researchers with debates about the ill effects of daylight saving time and various remedies for jet lag. When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing draws on this interest with an opening section that invites readers to analyze their daily routines and a “Time Hacker’s Handbook” accompanying each chapter with strategies to judge the best timing for a new job, marriage, or divorce, when to exercise, and how to take efficient breaks or conclude the workday or school year on a successful note. The book’s engaging delivery and grounding in recent findings should make readers think twice about timing in their own lives. The author expounds, for example, on the long-term harm to teenagers of early morning school starts, the importance of participating in group activity, and the advantages of celebrating milestones such as the finish of the semester or wrap-up of a project. People feel greater satisfaction when they mark completion, and studies demonstrate that a good ending can diminish memories of the difficulties that preceded it.
While circadian rhythms are pervasive in our lives, they often are dismissed or poorly accommodated, which can be to our detriment, says Pink. Consider the powerful “chronobiology” of teenagers, a period when their body clocks reset to much later wake-sleep cycles, putting thier brains at odds with the morning school bell. Research has shown that ignoring these altered rhythms can affect learning and set up young people for lifelong failure. The evidence proved so convincing that California recently became the first state to mandate high school start times of no earlier than 8:30 a.m.—the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Engineering professors likely will concur that 8 a.m. is not prime time for freshman analytical thinking. Try 11 a.m., advises Pink.
The book’s first part explores the research on circadian rhythms, noting how humans follow the same basic daily cycle of a morning peak, midday trough, and evening rebound across “continents and time zones,” ages, and nationalities. Part Two proffers advice on how to recognize, accommodate, and “hack” time-driven behavioral patterns, turning them to advantages. Studies reveal that when humans reach an ending—whether of an assignment, project, or life—they tend to gain focus. Pink uses this finding to challenge the popular negative perception of the elderly as isolated and lonely. Most people start voluntarily whittling down contact lists around age 60, he writes. As we enter life’s later phases, we expend less energy on casual acquaintances in lieu of more meaningful connections. This time-efficient choice is driven by a sense of mortality, whether conscious or not. In similar ways, teams tend to focus after the midpoint of a looming deadline. Knowing so can help us accommodate early brainstorming and misdirection with less anxiety. Moreover, “thinking in the past tense”—commemorating what has been achieved—“can lead to a greater understanding of ourselves,” writes Pink, who urges reflection upon endings, whether personal or work-related.
Engineering professionals and educators may take particular interest in Part Three, “Synching and Thinking,” which looks at ways to energize groups for better outcomes. Pink observes that spontaneous group rituals produce a stronger sense of unity than those imposed from the top that have lost significance, such as mandated award ceremonies and office holiday parties. By contrast, sing-alongs, rowing crew, and other activities that involve keeping time with others can help sync a group. While not everyone can join—or lead—a flash mob or yoga class, the author’s advocacy for improving teamwork is persuasive. The desire to belong to a larger group is “a fundamental human motivation,” Pink writes, and synchronizing with others provides not only better end results and productivity but also strong benefits for participants, including boosted endorphins and stronger immune systems. “I used to believe that timing was everything,” Pink writes. “Now I believe that everything is timing.”
Robin Tatu is Prism‘s book editor.
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