A NEW smartphone app that measures mood and brain power can show if you are a lark or an owl.

Psychologists in the UK have launched the moo-Q app to help people discover what time of day their brain is working best.

“If you notice ... your brain test scores are highest early in the day, you might be well advised to undertake important tasks that require a bit more brainpower first thing in the morning,” said Dr Sophie von Stumm, from Goldsmiths, University of London.

“Our app will also help alert you to changes in your brain over time, in memory or processing speed, and it can even help you to exercise your brain — something everyone should do.”

Moo-Q asks users how positive or negative they’re feeling — for instance whether they are awake, nervous, or happy — and then records how well they perform in mental tests that measure processing speed and memory.

After undergoing the assessment five times a personalised moo-Q chart can be unlocked, which displays a colour-coded graph showing mood and brainpower across hours, days and weeks.

Dr von Stumm and her team developed moo-Q to study the relationship between mood and brainpower over time.

“It is an old question in psychology if our brains work better when we are in high spirits, or if being a little miserable helps push our brains to maximum performance,” she said.

“So far, we have no conclusive evidence for either hypothesis — something we hope moo-Q will change.”

Moo-Q can be downloaded free from Apple’s App Store.