Late-night high (shinya tension)

Overview

A late-night high (shinya tension) is a slang term for the phenomenon where your emotional restraint weakens late at night and you say or do bolder things than usual. Lack of sleep and the circadian rhythm lowering the function of the prefrontal cortex (the brain region in charge of judgment and impulse control) are said to play a part. Late at night, the activity of the amygdala (the brain region in charge of emotions) becomes relatively dominant, and you lean more easily toward emotional decisions.

Why question boxes late at night are risky

Question boxes late at night have a mood of their own. You may end up sending questions you couldn't send during the day, such as messages that sound like a love confession, heavy outpourings of your worries, and aggressive opinions. This is thought to be because a late-night high loosens the brakes on your judgment.

The same goes for the person answering. When you reread an answer written late at night the next morning, you may regret it and wonder "why did I write this?" This goes for answers loaded with too much emotion, self-disclosure that went too far, and needlessly aggressive wording. It's better to think of your late-night self as a different person from your daytime self.

Dealing with late-night highs

The fix is simple. Don't send questions or answers you write late at night right away; save them as drafts. Reread them the next morning, and if you still want to send them, send them. Sometimes you'll decide "I'll skip it after all."

Setting a rule not to open your question box late at night also works. Use late nights for taking things in, and save putting things out for the daytime. If you really want to use your question box late at night, just being aware that "this might be a late-night high" helps keep you from going overboard.