I’ve been pondering this one for a while and really can’t figure it out.
In: Physics
This is a great question, and one that I remember asking myself when I was in elementary school. I noticed that, though P.E. and Social Studies were both 45 minute sessions, P.E. always felt like 5 minutes whereas Social Studies always felt like 2 hours.
I think it has more to do with our perception of time during various activities. For instance, when I was in P.E., I never actually looked at the clock. In fact, I never actually thought about how long something was taking – instead, I was always focused on the sport. The amount of times I thought about “how long has it been” or “how much time is left” was very little, if not none.
Conversely, during Social Studies, I was always bored. Instead of my mind being engaged, I would always look at the clock and check to see how much time has elapsed. Of course, the more uninterested you are, the more frequently you’ll check the clock. The more frequently you check the clock, the more you’ll notice incremental changes in time.
I think an inverse relationship exists between how engaged your brain is, and how frequently you think about time. The more engaged your brain is, the less you actually wonder how much time has elapsed and thus, you feel as though time has “flown”. On the opposite hand, if you were to sit and stare at a wall, you’ll constantly be thinking about how much time has elapsed and every hour, minute and second is noticed, making it “appear” as though time is moving slower.
Latest Answers