Time-of-day related fluctuations of self-belief formation

Time of day influences a variety of human cognitive processes, including attention, executive functions and memory formation, as well as affective experiences and mood. However, circadian modulations of self-related learning and belief formation, which are highly affected by emotional states, remain poorly understood. Here, we present results from exploratory post-hoc analyses on data aggregated from five studies assessing the formation of self-related ability beliefs. A total of N=242 healthy participants completed a validated learning task at different times of the day, during which they continuously received feedback on their performance. Computational modeling was applied to quantify participants learning behavior during the task. Results suggest an association between time-of-day and self-belief formation, showing that participants who were tested in the evening (7:00-9:59 p.m.) updated their self-beliefs more strongly in response to the received feedback compared to those tested in the afternoon (1:00-3:59 p.m.). Evidence from additional models indicated that these differences were driven by non-linear, rhythmic changes in self-belief formation across different times of the day. Future studies should systematically examine within-subject fluctuations in self-belief formation across the day and address the influence of individual factors such as chronotype, age, mood and sleep quality. Understanding circadian modulations of self-related belief formation could contribute to optimized interventions for conditions characterized by maladaptive self-beliefs, such as depression, as well as in academic contexts.