The Power of Time Perception

by Jean Paul Zogby

  Brains perform well in areas in which computers perform poorly. To get an idea of the number of computations that occur in the brain when performing a simple act, such as catching a ball, researchers attempted to simulate similar brain calculations using the K-Supercomputer in Japan, currently the fourth most powerful in the world. It took 40 minutes for the supercomputer to calculate the same brain activity generated by one percent of the brain working for just one second! Just so you know, the K-supercomputer contains 705,024 processor cores and 1.4 million GB of RAM, yet it still needed 40 minutes to crunch all the data generated by just one second of brain activity. Incidentally, the K-Supercomputer is about the size of a basketball court and consumes as much electricity as a small town of 10,000 suburban homes. In contrast, a human brain’s processing power is confined to a skull that is smaller than a basketball, and has a power consumption of about 30 watts that can barely power a small light bulb!

  The Internal Clock Model

  The most popular model for the brain’s internal clock was developed by psychologist Michel Treisman in 1963 and is composed of two facets: a clock and a counter. In the clock facet, a hypothetical clock is ticking at a certain speed that we now know corresponds to the brain’s processing speed of sensory information. As the internal clock ticks, a counter counts these ticks and keeps a record of how much time has elapsed. The speed of the hypothetical internal clock is influenced by several factors, such as the level of alertness, emotions, personality traits, and age, among others. We will cover each of these factors in more detail in subsequent chapters. For now, it is sufficient to keep in mind that a fast processing of reality is like a fast ticking internal clock.

  To illustrate that, imagine that your brain’s electrical activity is running at a level that processes sensory information 50% faster than usual. Let us imagine that you just finished reading a long article in the newspaper. It took 10 minutes to read but, not having a watch, you are not really sure how long you have been reading. When 10 minutes of “real” time have elapsed, your fast running internal clock would have ticked 50% more time and would have covered 15 minutes of experienced duration. This means that from your point of view, those 10 real minutes would appear to contain five more minutes and would seem longer than usual, so the time spent reading that article appears to have dragged. On the other hand, if your brain’s processing speed and internal clock were running 50% slower than usual, it would subjectively tick less time and count only five minutes when 10 minutes of real time have actually elapsed. Therefore, from your perspective, those 10 real minutes would appear to be five minutes shorter than usual. This inverse relationship might sound counter-intuitive and confusing, but it is easy to remember. A fast ticking internal clock creates the illusion that time is running slow while a slower one will produce the feeling that time is flying.

  On the other hand, imagine a hypothetical counter that counts the emitted ticks from the internal clock and compares them to the real objective duration, or else to some previously reinforced duration stored in memory. The internal clock’s counter represents the level of attention we deliberately devote to tracking the passage of time and acts like a gate that opens wider or narrower, depending on that level of attention. Consider the case of waiting 30 minutes for an important meeting, for instance. Attention to time is high and the attention gate is wide open, allowing more ticks to be counted, compared to a case where attention to time is not important, such as reading a book. While reading, attention is distracted from tracking time, the counter gate is narrower and misses some of the emitted clock ticks, so the reading time will seem short. Since our experience of an interval’s duration depends on the number of ticks counted by our internal clock’s counter, it follows then that the same time interval of 30 minutes will feel longer when in a waiting situation and shorter while reading.

  We will explore the role of attention on time perception in more detail in the next chapter and understand why sayings like “a watched pot never boils” and “time flies when you are having fun” are very true.

  “When the brain’s internal clock speeds up, time seems to drag. When it slows down, time flies”

  Harnessing the Power of Our Internal Clock

  So it is clear that we do not perceive time the same way clocks depict time. Perceived time intervals are elastic in nature, stretching and shrinking in our mind. Depending on how fast we are processing sensory information, our internal clock is ticking either more slowly or more quickly, i.e. how fast we are recording mental snapshots in our mind. Sometimes entire moments are missed, as if they were never part of our life.

  Whenever our subjective experience of time differs from the objective passing of time, a psychological time distortion occurs. Such mismatches can be quite useful if we can control and induce them at will. If you are, for instance, waiting to begin a long trip and have nothing to do, you would want to kill time so that the waiting period passes swiftly. If you were going through a period of pain, it would help to perceive that period as being as short as possible. In both cases you want to record as few mental snapshots as possible. In contrast, if you are really enjoying a nice dinner with your date or having a good time with friends, you might want to slow down time to make the experience last longer. You can make every second count by capturing the largest number of snapshots possible. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could voluntarily extend a moment of bliss or shorten a moment of pain according to our needs? Wouldn’t it be great if we could slow down time so that we subjectively live longer?

  Two thousand years ago, the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote, “You must match time’s swiftness with your speed in using it, and you must drink quickly as though from a rapid stream that will not always flow.” The sentiment expressed in those words embodies the view that time runs so fast that you need to prepare your mind and be constantly alert to tap into its swift flow, control its speed, and make best use of that scarce resource. There is obviously nothing we can do to change the real speed of time but we can control our experience of time, and this is what really matters. This can only be done by manipulating the speed of our brain’s internal clock and our attention counter, i.e. the speed at which we record mental snapshots and how many of those are retained in our memory.

  The question is, if the subjective speed of time is inversely related to the brain’s information processing speed, how can that be increased or decreased? How can we boost the speed at which our brain records the world so as to slow down time? Are there situations that cause the brain’s processing speed, and hence the speed of the internal clock, to dramatically change? Do we all experience the same subjective speed of time or does time run faster for some and slower for others? What individual differences are involved in our time perception? Essentially, how can we slow down or speed up our experience of time?

  We saw that fever can speed up the internal clock and slow down time. To achieve a similar effect without illness, we will need to understand what other factors affect the speed at which we perceive reality. In the second part of this book and over the next five chapters, we will explore some of these factors starting with:

  1. Living in the Moment: How Does Attention Affect our Perception of Time?

  2. Time in Slow Motion: The Effect of Alertness

  3. Taking Control: The Effect of Emotions

  4. What Kind of Person are you? The Effect of Personality Traits

  5. Messing with Time: The Effect of Drugs and Mental Disorders

  Each of these factors, affect the brain’s processing speed and influence our subjective speed of time. We will discuss and derive practical applications that will help us control the speed of time. We will then look at how our brains perceive the past and future, and from there we will be able to explore the most important factor, which is the effect of age on the speed of time. Let us now press on with the role of attention.

  Part Two

  What Factors Influence Our Time Experience?

  Chapter 5

  L
iving in the Moment

  How Does Attention Affect Our Time Experience?

  A Watched Pot Never Boils

  ― Popular Idiom

  Attention to Time

  In the fall of 1980, at the Augusta College in Georgia, a group of students waited in a room to start an experiment. One by one, the students were taken into another room that had a coffee pot filled with water on a stove. The scientist conducting the experiment told some students, “There will be a delay in starting the experiment. I will return for you when we are ready. Would you mind calling me in the other room when the water starts boiling?” Other students are told the same thing, but without any reference to the boiling water. After four minutes, the experimenter returned and asked the participants to guess how much time had elapsed. He noted that those who watched the water pot felt that they waited longer compared to those who did not. The fact that they were anticipating the water to boil caused time to pass slowly! As we saw earlier, this is referred to as a prospective time experience, because the participants were fully aware of the passing time. As it turns out, the popular saying “a watched pot never boils” has a lot of truth. 35 This chapter is about how the attention we devote to the passage of time slows it down, and how distraction from the passage of time can speed it up.

  When you are bored, you are constantly looking at your watch and time seems to pass excruciatingly slowly. On the other hand, when you are absorbed in an activity that you enjoy, less attention is directed to the passage of time, and it feels like time flew. Consider, for instance, how time seems to drag when a receptionist puts you on hold over the phone. As you wait on the line, you become sharply aware of time-related signals or cues. You may engage in some kind of timekeeping strategy such as tapping with your feet, drumming your fingers on the table, or silently counting the seconds. You could be pacing the floor, back and forth, performing a series of repetitive movements, or simply staring at the moving hands of a clock. Whatever you do, this attentiveness to time dramatically alters your experience of time, causing it to drag.

  We experience a similar time-expanding effect in activities where time is highly relevant. If you are attending a very important event that starts at a specific time, and you do not want to be late, time will be highly relevant on the way there and, as your awareness of the passing time will be high, the trip will feel longer. On the way back, although it is the same distance, you will feel the trip to be quicker, since time is no longer relevant. 36

  Distraction From Time

  At the beginning of the 20th century, when lifts were first introduced in high-rise buildings, many people complained that they were too slow. Rather than redesign the lift motors, engineers came up with a clever fix. They installed mirrors in the lift cabins to give people something to look at while they waited. The same lift journey now felt shorter, since people could check their appearance instead of staring at their watch!

  In contrast, time flies when attention is distracted. If your day is hectic day and you are running from one thing to another, oblivious to the passage of time, that day will be over before you know it. Busy time goes by quickly. Empty time goes by slowly.

  Slowing Down Time With Mindfulness

  We can use the technique of “mindfulness” to slow down time. Mindfulness can be quite useful when you are having a good time and want it to last longer. Mindfulness is defined as having moment-to-moment awareness of what is happening around you, essentially “living in the moment.” It is commonly achieved through meditation, although people can be mindful in almost any situation. Buddhist monks who practice mindfulness meditation often report a slowing down of time. By closing their eyes and focusing on the present moment, they ignore the outside world and so experience expanding time durations. People who practice mindfulness focus their attention internally, such as on their breathing or heartbeat, or externally on an object, while being fully aware of the present moment. This shift of focus on the “here and now” boosts attention levels so that time durations are stretched and time runs slowly. 37, 38

  Evidence for this time-slowing effect comes from people who report an enhanced appreciation of music after performing mindfulness meditation. In a 2011 study at Duke University Center for Mindfulness Research, researchers had one group of students listen to a 10-minute excerpt from Puccini’s opera La Boheme, after practicing 15 minutes of mindfulness meditation. Another group listened to the same musical piece, but without prior meditation. Students who meditated had a more satisfying and engaging musical experience compared to those who did not. 39 Since mindfulness enhances attention by focusing the mind on the present moment, time slows down, making every musical note more intense.

  You can, therefore, make a pleasant activity seem longer by intentionally being mindful of every passing moment and every fleeting detail. Such attention to time will cause that activity to slow down and its duration to stretch. Similar time-controlling tips will be addressed into the last chapter, which will focus on crafting the longest year of your life.

  “Living in the moment slows down time”

  Speeding up Time: The Power of Distraction

  In contrast, if you want to speed up time you should try to shift your focus away from the passage of time. This is a strategy that all shopping malls, amusement parks, and call centers deliberately use. Call centers play background music and amusement park operators install TV screens or have clowns walk around the queue lines. This diverts attention from time and the wait seems shorter. In situations where routines cannot be abandoned, companies and schools have considered eliminating wall clocks to reduce time awareness and promote intrinsic motivation. Therefore, in situations where you want time to run fast, you should distract yourself from time. But do not abandon your wristwatch already, as you might start missing your appointments. Rather, focus on the task at hand, regardless of how boring it is, so that your attention is diverted from the passage of time and it will be over in a blink.

  “Time flies when you are having fun.” This saying is so entrenched in our mind that the converse is also true: ‘you are having fun when time flies’. When you feel that the passing of time has been unexpectedly quick, you will most likely judge an activity as more entertaining. People assume that if time flew, then the experience must have been fun. Conversely, when people feel that time is dragging, they evaluate the experience as unpleasant. This effect was confirmed in a study done at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, where researchers asked students to do a perform a task that involved reading a text and underlining all words with double letter combinations, like apple and bottle. The duration of the task was going to be exactly 10 minutes for all students, but that is not what they were told. Half of the students were told they will spend only five minutes, while the other half were told they will be doing the task for 20 minutes. These deceptions created a feeling of surprise when the students were told their time was up. Those students who were told the task was five minutes felt it took forever. Meanwhile, the students who thought they were working for 20 minutes felt that duration passed in a breeze. The researchers then asked the participants how much they enjoyed this mundane task. Those who felt time fly rated the task much more enjoyable than the participants who felt that time dragged, even though both groups had actually experienced the same boring task for exactly the same 10-minute time duration.

  Experiencing “Flow”: A State of Consciousness

  Have you ever started reading a book in the morning and, a little while later, noticed it was already getting dark? Or spent half an hour playing a video game which, afterwards, you learned actually lasted three hours? Have you ever been so absorbed in an activity that the rest of the world seemed to have disappeared? If you answered yes, then you have experienced a state of consciousness that psychologists call “flow.”

  Flow is the exact opposite of boredom. It is a mental state that was first studied in detail by world-famous psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi when he became fascinated by artists, espe
cially painters, who seemed so immersed in what they were doing that their sense of time was twisted. The best example comes from Csíkszentmihályi himself (you can give up trying to pronounce his name). Imagine you are skiing down a challenging slope and fully focused on every tree, curve, and the freezing air in your face. The run is flawless and you do not want it to end. It may have taken 15 minutes in real time, but felt like it was over in a blink. Such experience happen all the time in sports or while absorbed in hobbies such as painting, writing, or playing chess. In experiences of full immersion, we become completely absorbed in what we are doing, with a feeling of energized focus, motivation, and intrinsic satisfaction.

  Actions performed during a flow experience are effortless and stand out as exceptional moments in life. The experience in such moments is so intense when compared to the unexciting backdrop of daily routine. You lose awareness of yourself and become one with whatever you are doing. A piano player merges with the instrument and becomes the music he is playing. A painter is absorbed by his painting and is transported to a different realm of consciousness. People describe such experiences with expressions like, “in the groove” or “getting lost in the book” so that we “forget ourselves.” Athletes use the term “being in the zone,” artists describe “aesthetic ruptures,” or a “heightened state of consciousness,” and religious mystics refer to it as a state of “ecstasy.”