Whether or not you consider yourself a religious or spiritual person, you might find that your sense of mindfulness or connection to the world might be stronger in the morning than it is at night, or particularly low during work hours. A new study out of the University of Connecticut examines how spirituality, or spiritual awareness, relies on the time of day. As it turns out, people tend to feel brighter and more spiritual in the morning — or whenever they’re meditating or praying — and less so during work or at night.

“What surprised us is how much people vary in awareness of God across the day and across activities,” Bradley Wright, associate professor of sociology at the University of Connecticut and a co-author of the study, said in the press release. “There is a complex interplay between spiritual awareness and the situation. Sometimes the situation you are in affects your spiritual awareness. Other times your spiritual awareness affects the situation you’re in.”

The researchers reviewed data from a study called SoulPulse, which retrieves information from participants’ smartphones and track how they went through their day. SoulPulse gave the participants 15-25 random questions every day, and there were some 2,439 people in the U.S. who were involved across two years. The study will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA).

They defined spiritual awareness as a self-reported connection to or awareness of God, a higher being, or even simply a larger sense or ideal. People who overworked themselves were more likely to have lower spiritual awareness; meanwhile, watching the news seemed to boost people’s spiritual awareness temporarily.

Various studies have examined how spirituality impacts physical and mental health. Some research shows that belonging to a religious group can boost your mental health, for example, noting that the social connection and comfort gleaned from believing in God helped people feel better. For many people, spiritual and religious leanings can help them cope with everyday struggles.

However, that’s not always the case: one 2013 study found that spiritual people actually tend to have more mental illness than non-spiritual people. Everyone is different, of course, and while spirituality may help some, it’s not therapeutic for others.

There is, however, scientific evidence that proves that meditation can have a positive impact on both physical and mental health. One study found that mindful meditation can help addicts stop smoking; another found that it can reduce stress, chronic pain, and migraines. Perhaps, then, the latest study can help you find the perfect time to meditate: in the morning, you might be more in tune with your mindfulness, and it might be a good time to meditate. In addition, during the work day when your mindfulness is low, taking a walk or a meditative break can help boost your morale.

Source: Wright B, et al. 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. 2015.