> Humanity settled on these numbers long ago because they work best.

Standardized time zones are a recent invention (late 1800s through early 1900s). Working hours in that period were determined by what factory owners could get away with, and later shortened by pressure from labor movements.

Some time-related practices, like high school in most of the USA starting especially early in the morning are at odds with what research suggests would work best (teenagers on average perform best later in the day than adults or younger children).

It's wise to consider the reasons behind existing standards before changing them, but unwise to assume they're what works best without examining whether that's reality.