Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-11-09

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6-When
you lose yUur pep on a damp gloomy
day, or when you find it hard to
| concentrate on a difficult problem
right after lunch, don't get nervous
and think that you are on che verge
of a breakdown. You are merely a
living exc mple Of the natural
rhythms of efficiency.
Almost everyone has a preferred
time for brain work and tor eXer-
else. You hear a nan say. Il wait
until late at night to do ~ read
ing because it is quiet and l can
concentrate My mind seems to
work bettsl then than at any other
time" Another person holds an
equally decided opinion that early in
the morning is the best time for
brain work. Opinions of tits sort
have beeh held for centuries.
But for the past few decades sci
ence has been making tests of the
actual abilities of human beings in
varying CT, cumstances. The effects
on efficiency, of the weather, the
time of day, and the season of the
year have been tested by numerous
investigators The results have
shown that these factors do have an
influence on efficiency, and that GER
tain rhythms prevail. If a large
group of people is tested thu ough-
out one day almost all are found
to reach the peak of mental ability
at about tn. same hour. and if the
tests are repeated ove a long period
of time the tendency Of the eff
cheney curve to follow the same
course each day is still more appar-
ent.
The interesting fact shown by
such tests is that comparatively few
people are at their best when they
think they are. College students
asked by Professor Gates to tell at
what hour they could study best
showed C decided preference for 8
and 9 o clock. Comparatively few
chose 10 or II in the morning,
at which time, according &C scienti-
fc tests, the peak of mental effici-
eney is attained. And very few,
DR.. Gates says, appreciated the eff
ficiency Of the afternoon hours, no
ticeably 3 o'clock.
His conclusion is that zones sub
~jective feelings with regard to the
time OF greatest efficiency are not
reliable indications of real efficiency
The organism may be able to pro-
uuCt Llt SICdICSI oliIOulib olu NAAN
best quality of work at a Sine when
feelings of fatigue and kindred fac
tors lead us to believe that our eff
f~lciency is low.
Brain Power Best After Noon
According to DR.. Archibald Peaks
who MADE a study OF this subject,
brain power rises to a high point at
II. 1t drops considerably around
noon and then rises to A haximum
around 2 T. M, after which there
is a gradual decrease urtil the
close of the day.
Physical ability rises to a similar
high point around IL and drops
slightly from Don to 1 p. IN. then
rises again to a maximum sometime
between 5 and 6 o'clock.
DR.. Peaks says that Sin speed and
accuracy tests, accuracy is better
in hte morning speed greater in the
afternoon. a result which seems to
show that speed is often gained at
the expense of accuracy"
This refutes to a degree the pop
ular idea that when a person has
been working a while fatigue pulls
down his efficiency. but it is explain
ed by some scientists that many
people to sink into a semi-con-
SClOuS state IN the afternoon Simply
because they are firmly convinced
that their efficiency cannot be as
great as III the morning. Subcon-
sciously perhaps they say TO them
selves, II always am tired in the
afternoon. 1t is natural fo~ a per-
son to slow down then" And be-
cause they believe that conditions
are pulling against them they give
in.
People who have this complex
may find themselves more alert if
they reflect that around two and
three O'Clock, when the noon slump
is about over, conditions are very
nearly ss favorable for efficiency
as at the high point of The morn
ing's work.
Those who allow themselves to
drag tn .ough the middle of the af-
ternoon and pull themselves togeth-
err at night are not taking advan-
tage of The best hours for alertness
or so the results of numerous tests
would indicate. There may be, OF
course, other factors to consider in
special cases. There is something
in favor or night hours as conducive
to mental effort. 1t distractions are
removed and the brain is NOT charg-
ed with items Of the daily routine