How to slow down time and enjoy life

We are often surprised at how quickly time flies. The average life expectancy in Russia is about 71 years in the US - 79 years. But some people live much longer, and look at the world with eyes wide open. Of course, not literally.

Everyone knows that time flies when we are doing something enjoyable. As you know, happy hours are not watching. BUT time slows downWhen we get into some extreme or unusual situation for us.

Remember the movie. They are the most dangerous for the life of the protagonist moments are often isolated by slow shooting. And it is not just a visual metaphor. The former first racket of the world, John McEnroe once described this phenomenon as follows:

Everything slows down, the ball seems to be a lot more, and you feel that you have more time to be repelled.

If our understanding of how goes the time were true, we would not have so much to enjoy for hours. Subjective time is good because it can be controlled. At least to some extent. As scientists have found, to our perception of time is influenced by two main factors: the attention and excitement. And here is how you can manipulate them.

Connect to this

Studies have shown Peter Ulric Tse. Attention and the subjective expansion of time. When our attention focus shifts to something new, the time for us seems to slow down. Think of a situation where you find yourself in any place, where never been before. At this point, for you it was all new, and most likely, you were fully focused on the study of the objects around you. Then, when you came back, you probably thought that the time passed quickly.

Obviously, you can not double for the first time to pass on the same street. But slow down a subjective time with attention and can be different. In order to better focus on what is happening, you just need to start better to be aware of. scientists have confirmed Aviva Berkovich-Ohana. Temporal cognition changes following mindfulness, but not transcendental meditation practice. , what meditation awareness that is needed to learn to be fully present in the moment, slows subjective time.

On the other hand, if you do only one specific task, time passes very quickly. As confirmed by neuroscientists, the more you are involved in any business, the more quickly time flies Anthony Chaston, Alan Kingstone. Time estimation: The effect of cortically mediated attention. . For example, on Sunday, you have finally decided to arrange a children's room or a clean house, but suddenly you realize that the day came to an end, and again you need a few hours will be sent to work.

Therefore, in order to slow down or speed up the perceived time, it should monitor what like a lot of attention in the quantity and quality you pay a certain object or process.

Engage emotions

In situations that cause you severe emotions, Make your heart beat faster, you also feel that the time is slower. Psychologists call this state of emotional arousal.

In one experiment, Jason Tipples. Facial Emotion Modulates the Neural Mechanisms Responsible for Short Interval Time Perception. the researchers showed participants angry or happy faces, which caused the subjects emotional response. The participants confirmed that, in their subjective feelings, these people showed him longer than those bezemotsionalnye. In fact, time was the same in both the first and second cases.

In addition, during the experiment, the brain scans of the subjects showed differences in brain activity in those parts of it that are responsible for the subjective perception of time. Perhaps that is why in the decisive moments of the competition the athletes feel that the time seems to slow down.

Another study Chess Stetson. Does Time Really Slow Down during a Frightening Event. It was carried out on a more extreme level. Participants had to experience a state of free fall. The aim of the experiment was severely frighten participants and track their perception of time. The study showed that the time for them to really slowed down (in numerical terms - by 36%). During the flight, the participants did not feel the effect of slowing the shooting, but when they remembered about the flight, it seemed that he held for much longer than it really was.

This does not mean that the deceleration of subjective time you need to make parachute jumps. It's all about emotions.

conclusions

So, that time is not flowed as rapidly change activities and try more consciously perceive what is happening. Awareness in general helps us to experience and enjoy all of what we do. Or from time to time you can arrange yourself an emotional jolt. It works equally well and in a positive (excitement, agitation) and on the negative side (anger). You can combine both, and more.

With regard to the widespread allegations that the time passes faster when you do something nice, in fact, this is true. It turns out that the connection between the subjective perception of time and the pleasure of the activity in which you are engaged in at this time, stronger than you can imagine. scientists have proven Aaron M. Sackett. You're Having Fun When Time Flies. The Hedonic Consequences of Subjective Time Progression. It works in the opposite direction. When we feel that the time passed quickly, we tend to believe that spent it well.

Sometimes we want to feel better now. And sometimes - just have fun. The subjective perception of time exclusively yours, you and dispose of it. And that's fine.