This is *chronostasis,* as your brain tries to guess what was going on while your eyes were moving.
Great minds think alike. Ahoy, matey! Yer not alone in askin’, and kind strangers have explained:
1. [ELI5: Why does the second hand on a clock seem to pause when I first glance at it for longer than one second? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1qc3nv/eli5_why_does_the_second_hand_on_a_clock_seem_to/) ^(_5 comments_)
1. [ELI5: Why is it that whenever I look at a clock, the first second seems to linger for longer than a second? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2tejpt/eli5_why_is_it_that_whenever_i_look_at_a_clock/) ^(_6 comments_)
1. [ELI5: Why does it appear that the second hand on a clock stands still longer when you just start looking at it? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3xqwcf/eli5_why_does_it_appear_that_the_second_hand_on_a/) ^(_3 comments_)
1. [ELI5:When you look at the second hand on a clock, why does the first second seem to hang longer than subsequent seconds? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6jby1t/eli5when_you_look_at_the_second_hand_on_a_clock/) ^(_3 comments_)
1. [Why is it that when you look at a clock the first second appears to take forever to tick, but after that it proceeds normally? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1az2hm/why_is_it_that_when_you_look_at_a_clock_the_first/) ^(_>100 comments_)
1. [ELI5: What is the phenomenon that occurs when you look at the second hand on a clock just as it was about to change to a new second and it seems to take longer than usual and the next 2 seconds are faster than normal? How does our brain know how to do that? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3c5or2/eli5_what_is_the_phenomenon_that_occurs_when_you/) ^(_3 comments_)
1. [ELI5: When glancing at a clock, why does the first second after glancing at it sometimes feel longer than the rest? ](https://np.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/) ^(_>100 comments_)
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