The Illusion of Time

How is it that when you enjoy, time goes by fast? But when you are doing something boring like that lecture or meeting you have to be right now, instead of reading this article, time goes by so slowly. (Just kidding!)

Time can be fast or slow. 

In one experiment, people were asked to jump from high stories of buildings (with harnesses and safety precautions of course). As they fall, they will look into a timer for their fall will be measured how fast they will get to the bottom. As the people participated, they saw nothing, it was a blur. But when scientists asked how fast did they think they were, they said ten seconds. The scientists that were studying them, timed the fall with fifteen seconds. The experiment showed that their memory of the fall was slowed down.

This is because of the amygdala in our brain wherein during stressful moments, this area focuses on the brain’s capacity to make memories at the moment. Making us feel the sensation that the memory lasted longer than other foggy and low-resolution memories.

Our emotions can also influence our personal perception of time. In some cases wherein people who are nervous or stressed experience it passing slowly at any given moment. On the other hand, happy people experienced it passing more quickly. Many of us felt that the Ber months came quickly as we expect them to. This may likely happen if we are stuck in a routine, we might feel that time is slow. The time period may seem to fly us by.

The Oddball Effect

We may have this experience called the Oddball Effect. Being exposed to the same image repeatedly, makes a new or different image seem to last longer even if they are displayed for the same period of time. 

Another example of this is when we were kids, all we experienced were new to us. Creating new memories and experiences give our brain new data, making it work harder, hence, giving us the perception of time being slow. As we grow older, these experiences become a routine as we go through the same thing every day. This gives us the perception of time being quick. The more memories we have, the slower we perceive time.

Being conscious human beings, we will always have time to remember and experience the past, present, and future of our lives. It’s up to us how we want to live it.