The Perception of Time

2021, In the Blink of An Eye?

Oftentimes, people argue over whether time is really “flying by” or feels like it’s going in slow motion. Let’s look at it from a psychological perspective, because the theory of time perception might just solve this debate. 

If you’re anything like me, you woke up on Monday morning asking yourself, “HOW IS IT NOVEMBER 1ST????” People were putting up their Christmas lights and blasting Frank Sinatra and Mariah Carey, when I feel like I haven’t even gotten my pumpkin-spice fixing yet. I found myself panicking when I stepped outside and realized I needed to bring a jacket with me, because apparently it’s already been THREE months since August. 

Since that morning, this is all I’ve been able to think about. Has it really been eleven months since New Year’s Eve? Why does January feel like it was just yesterday, but feel like so long ago at the time?  How can I slow down time and make sure I’m not wasting it? Does everyone feel this way? (SO. Many. Questions.) After doing some research, I’ve discovered that there is something that describes just this (and I’m not just losing my mind).

 It is described as the perception of time. 

The Perception of Time

According to Exactly What is Time, “Time perception refers to a person’s subjective experience of the passage of time, or the perceived duration of events, which can differ significantly between different individuals and/or in different circumstances.” In simple terms, this means that even though the same amount of time is passing for everyone, for one individual it could feel like forever, while for another, it could feel extremely quick. While time itself is ultimately objective, time perception, otherwise known as psychological time, fluctuates and alters.

Time perception was first discovered in the late 19th century by one of the founders of modern experimental psychology, Gustav Theodor Fechner. Through his studies, he found that humans do not necessarily perceive actual time, but rather the changes and passage of it, known as the “events in time.” So if you woke up Monday morning just like me, questioning how in the world you’re already in November, it might just be because the first three months of school took up so much of your time, you didn’t even realize how much had already passed. If you wake up every Monday morning and only focus on the upcoming Friday, you’re completely brushing over four days in between that you don’t even realize. Does time really only fly when you’re having fun? Or does it fly when you’re looking forward to the fun?

From a Biological Perspective

When it comes to psychology, the biggest focus is on the brain and how the neurological system affects humans every second of the day. Although psychologists do not believe the perception of time is associated with specific sensory pathways, in contrast to the other main five senses, they do believe the neurological system uses a more highly distributed system in the brain. Time cannot be directly perceived, causing our brains to work hard to “reconstruct” it in our brains.

Exactly What is Time described this process perfectly:

“When the brain receives new information from the outside world, the raw data does not necessarily arrive in the order needed to process it properly. The brain therefore reorganizes the information and presents it in a more easily understandable form. In the case of familiar information, very little time is needed for this process, but new information requires more processing and this extra processing tends to make time feel elongated. This is part of the reason why a child’s summer seems to last forever, while an old person’s well-practiced routine seems to slip away faster and faster. The more familiar the task, the less new information the brain needs to process, and the more quickly time seems to pass.”

Attention is also a huge factor in time perception. Remember when you were six years old, eagerly helping your mom make dinner in the kitchen and she told you, “Be patient, a watched pot never boils.” She wasn’t just saying this to get you out of the kitchen and to stop bothering her – her comment was actually a fact. Measuring the duration of an event requires a certain amount of attention, and new events often appear to take longer than familiar events because more attention is paid to them. If you’re now a teenager who knows how to make Kraft macaroni and cheese off the top of your head, you might find yourself forgetting that the water is even boiling, whereas when you were six, it felt like it took FOREVER. 

So, Can I Listen to Christmas Music Now?

After spending lots of time researching this theory, and trying to find answers to all the questions I had, I am at peace knowing that there are other people out there who, too, haven’t even realized that 2022 is less than two months away. I am also fascinated that there are also people who are very much aware that 2022 is less than two months away, and feel like it’s taking forever to get there. But after all, we’re humans. Each and every single one of us and the way our brains work are unique. You may have already come up with a Christmas list and replaced your flannels with cozy sweaters, but I for one am going to continue lighting my pumpkin candles and admiring the colorful leaves at least until Thanksgiving, because time is FLYING. And if your mom yells at you for leaving the house without a jacket on, like mine has every morning for the last week, be sure to inform her that psychologically, you are still in summer mode.