Have you ever felt like time flies when you’re having fun?
According to a new study by researchers at UNLV, there’s a lot of truth to this saying.
Most people think their brains count time like a clock, but this study, published in Current Biology, shows that our brains actually measure time based on the number of experiences we have.
The research team, led by James Hyman, an associate professor of psychology at UNLV, found that our brains perceive the passage of time through activities and experiences, not by tracking minutes and seconds.
“We tell time by the things we do and what happens to us,” Hyman explained. “When we’re bored, time feels slow because not much is happening. But when we’re busy, our brains move forward with each activity, making time seem to fly.”
The researchers focused on the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a part of the brain that monitors activities and tracks experiences.
To explore this, they conducted experiments with rodents. The rodents had to use their noses to respond to a prompt 200 times.
Scientists knew that brain patterns are slightly different each time you repeat an action, so they asked: Can we detect changes in brain patterns from the first to the 200th repetition? Does the time taken to complete the task affect brain activity?
By analyzing the changes in brain patterns, the researchers found that the brain’s activity changes consistently from the start to the end of a task. This was true whether the animals moved quickly or slowly. The results showed that our brains don’t measure time like a clock; instead, they count experiences.
Using a machine learning model, the researchers confirmed that experiences, not minutes or seconds, produce changes in our brain’s activity patterns. Hyman illustrated this with a story about two factory workers making 100 widgets: one finished in 30 minutes, the other in 90 minutes. Despite the difference in time, their brain patterns were similar. “Our brains act like counters, not clocks,” Hyman said. “We can tell the difference between making widget No. 85 and No. 60, but not between No. 85 and No. 88.”
The study also revealed that as we complete tasks, different groups of neurons in the brain take turns working, much like runners passing a baton in a relay race. This helps the brain keep track of activities and time.
Interestingly, these findings apply to activities beyond physical motions. “The ACC helps us track things like conversations during dinner,” Hyman said. “You can remember the flow of conversation from start to finish, but it’s hard to recall specific sentences.”
The study’s findings have practical implications for our daily lives. For example, if you want to remember something, slow down and take breaks between activities. If you want to move on from something quickly, keep busy with new activities. “If things feel overwhelming, slow down. If you’re bored, add activities,” Hyman advised. “Understanding how our brains perceive time can help us manage our mental health.”
The ACC, where these processes occur, is crucial for our behavior and emotions. It’s also linked to many psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which involves distortions in time perception. The researchers believe their findings might help us better understand these conditions.
While this study provides new insights into how we perceive time, more research is needed. Hyman and his team hope to explore these findings further to uncover more about the relationship between time perception and memory processes.
In summary, this study shows that our brains track time through experiences, not by counting minutes and seconds. This discovery could help us better understand and manage our mental health, making life’s moments more enjoyable and less overwhelming.
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