With flashing lights, why does the first flash that you see just as you look at it seem to last longer than all the rest?

Question

Either the first flash you see will seem to last longer than the rest, or the gap between flashes will be disproportionately long.

In: Biology

Answer 1

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_)