There’s a guaranteed way to make your holiday seem longer… and it’s all about avoiding the sun lounger
Scientific research show that new experiences slow down our perception of time
EVERYONE knows that times flies when you’re having fun, but apparently that doesn’t have to be the case.
Scientific research suggests that we can make things like the annual summer holiday appear to last longer by changing our daytime vacation activities.
An American neuro-scientist called David Eagleman conducted a study into the way the brain reacts to different behaviour and discovered that when subjected to a shocking situation, time appeared to slow down.
For example, during an experiment where people were dropped the length of a 15-storey building on a safety net below, each person who made the leap timed their fall to be much longer than the others they had witnessed doing the same thing.
A new report in the Telegraph has linked the chemical reaction to adrenaline-junkie activities like water skiing and bungee jumping, suggesting that they would have a similar effect to a person’s perception of time.
But what about those of us who don’t relish the thought of spending our precious vacation time jumping off a bridge?
Apparently there are plenty of other activities that can have the same effect.
Dr Steve Taylor, a lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University, told that most new experiences slows down our perception of time – so getting outside the resort and exploring a local area will make the day go longer than if you lounged by the pool.
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He told the newspaper: “Time perception is related to information processing [and] unfamiliarity – new experiences, new environments, any kind of newness – slows down our perception."
On the plus side, this means there are more sun loungers around the pool for the rest of us.
