EFFECTS OF TIME OF DAY AND PERSONALITY ON SELF-REPORTED ACTIVATION

The present work studies the effects of time of day and personality -e xtroversion and neuroticism- on self-reported activation. A sample of 349 students (143 men/206 women) aged between 17 and 26 years answered UMACL inventory at four time points (9:00, 13:00, 17:00 and 21:00). T his inventory evaluates three main factors -hedonic tone, energetic an d tensional arousal- and a secondary factor of general activation. The extroverted subjects showed a greater hedonic tone and energy and a m inor tension than the introverted subjects. The results obtained for t he stable subjects in relation to the neurotic subjects were identical . The intermediate groups for both dimensions provided a mixed pattern in relation to the extreme groups with the exception of hedonic tone. Personality groups did not differ in their diurnal functions of self- reported activation, but time of day influences the general results be cause they do not always agree for each hourly recording. Every of the inventory show significant diurnal variations for the whole sample.