Yes, you're right, and there are some reasonable arguments for it. But I'm not convinced that it's the optimal solution for all situations.
I my mom's case, she was mostly doing paperwork, so many of the arguments weren't as applicable. She had done 8 or 10 hour shifts for a while and found that she really preferred it (and was staying on top of her work), but then a different manager was brought in that forced everyone back onto the "standard" 12 hour shifts.