How Your Brain Makes Time Pass Fast or Slow

↓ More info and sources below ↓

Time passes for all of us at the same rate of one second per second. But why does it sometimes feel like time is passing so fast, or so slowly? Especially during COVID? Let’s learn about how our brains keep track of and try to make sense of time, and how they get fooled.

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[besmart]

Have you been feeling COVID time? WHAT DAY IS IT?!
Let me know how you're feeling, and come find me on Instagram and Twitter: @DrJoeHanson @okaytobesmart

[Opscot]

2020 felt like both a 100 years and a month has passed

[cassandracrakes]

“How is it September already.”
I nodded to agree with him and realized...
It's November.

[educostanzo]

When he said it's September I thought "yeah, how come it's September already?" only to realize a moment later that it's actually November.

[varvaramir]

"at a constant rate of 1 second per second"
ah yes the floor here is made out of floor

[PRDreams]

My husband just asked "where are the avocados that we got yesterday"

We got them 4 days ago... 🤣

[talhajobayer]

Man I missed you so much it feels like years...

[DarkLadyPhoenix]

Had a person call in on my call center Friday. Told a familiar story, so I said, "Yes, that was me who spoke with you yesterday." Only I couldn't find where the call had come in on yesterday's table. After some digging, we're both stunned for a minute to find out I had talked to her that Tuesday and both of us were missing like two days of time.

[Samos]

I’ve noticed this!! Whenever I move into a new environment, days feel like forever then once I get used to a new routine, time passes by much quicker! I like this explanation better than the “time speeds up as we age” theory which states time speeds up because for every year we live, one year becomes a smaller fraction of a whole (lifetime)

[NewMessage]

"Hey smart people..."


But... what about the rest of us? * tries to take a sip of his soda, and pokes himself in the eye with the straw *

[frankhernandezb.]

0:11 "at a constant rate of one second per second"
Insert "Every 60 seconds a minute passes in Africa" meme

[PaladinNay]

I always figured time seemed slower as a kid because we had less time to compare it to. Like, one month as a 27-year-old doesn't seem like a huge amount of time, but when you're 6 years old one month is a much larger percent of your total life up to that point.

[madiboggs]

I was going to therapy the first half of quarantine, i was telling him how time felt like it was going by so fast. He was very confused at that, looking back i thrived in quarantine. I was going on runs every morning, doing yoga every night, cleaning my eating, lessening my spending and going out in nature more. AND raking in unemployment. I felt so good i dropped my therapist. Best decision ever. I miss it honestly.

[Nick_Slavik]

"What! Day is it?"

"It's

I dunno why, but I found that soooo damn funny! Hahah

[furqanbaba]

Joe: count 7 seconds
Me a drummer: 7 quater notes at 60 BPM.

Nailed it

[joshuaschertzer]

Honestly since reflecting on time since March, I feel like a completely different person. I truly think quarantine has changed me as a person. It feels like years ago hearing my professors say “guys you might wanna take your things home with you in case we don’t come to school next week”

[Ritaaw]

Thank you for mentioning ptsd. When I was depressed, days felt super long and I hated it. It felt like it was too much for me. Honestly though I didn’t even sleep back then so it gave me extra hours to the day. Now when I don’t have depression, time goes by so much faster and I am super happy about it.

[emfqevb]

I was way off on the 7s...
Then i realized, I was watching at 2x speed...

[queenkerry-ann]

Scrolling through Pinterest and waiting for something in the microwave are two different speeds of time

[DenajM]

The exact reason why going back through the same path seems faster.