Does Time Really Fly When You ’ re Having Fun?

If you’re a parent, chances are you might recall a long road trip with your family when you’ve been on the road maybe all of ten minutes, and you hear that dreaded question from the back seat: “Are we there yet?” Time passes slowly for children, especially when they’re anticipating something (as in their vacation destination), or when they’re bored. So you suggest that your child read a book or watch a video. Or you play travel games with them. You know, to make the time go by faster. We know these activities don’t really speed up time, which is constant. But they sure can change our perception of how much time has passed. And not just for children, but for adults as well. German psychologist Marc Wittmann, from the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, has conducted studies about the perception of time. In some of his experiments, Dr. Wittmann found more accurate judgements of duration were made by those who had more activity in a part of the brain called the insular cortex. According to Dr. Wittmann, this area of the brain is responsible for integrating signals from all over the body, and enables us to “sense our self” as well as the passing of time. Still, he says there is no real consensus as to how and where time is processed in the brain. In fact, when it comes to durations longer than five seconds, Dr. Wittmann’s experiments reveal our judgments are not that accurate. It is interesting to note that i...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Happiness Memory and Perception Cognitive Psychology Dopamine Memory Formation Neuroscience Neurotransmitter Source Type: blogs