eli5, why does the first second seem to last longer when you being to look at a clock/timer?

Question

eli5, why does the first second seem to last longer when you being to look at a clock/timer?

In: 6

Answer 1

When you quickly look at a clock, your brain plays a little trick to help you not miss anything important. It makes you feel like you’ve been looking at the clock for a longer time than you really have. So the first second seems longer than it really is. It’s like your brain is saying, “Hey, pay attention to this time!”