Psychology Of Time: Why Does It Fly At A Different Speed For Each Of Us?
Sometimes it seems like time flies faster, especially when we are happy. When we have fun, time flies; on the contrary, when things go wrong, the second hand of the clock seems to move very slowly. Even if the passage of time is the same, the perception that we have is different. The psychology of time tries to analyze this phenomenon and shows us how different perceptions of time will influence our behavior.
The Good Samaritan experience gives us an idea of how the perception of time can affect behavior. As part of this experience, seminarians were asked to give a course. When they arrived, some were told they were early and had time to go, and others were told they were late and expected.
Along the way, everyone passed a person lying on the ground who seemed to be doing badly. Most of the seminarians who were told they were early stopped to help him. However, those who saw themselves obliged to hurry, them, for the most part, passed by without stopping. The last thing is that all these seminarians were there to give a course on the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Several conclusions were then drawn from this experience, including that the perception of time was the cause of different behaviors. Seminarians who thought they were late were oriented towards the future ; their minds were focused on hurrying, so they didn’t stop to help the person in distress. On the contrary, the seminarians who thought they were ahead were more oriented towards the present, and therefore took the time to stop to help this person lying on the ground.
Now let’s try to learn more about the psychology of time in order to find out more.
Based on findings from the Good Samaritan experience, two researchers, Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd, have deepened this study of the psychology of time. Their work is characterized mainly by the categorization of time perspectives; according to Zimbardo and Boyd, there are six time perspectives and generally people place more importance on one of them, they are more oriented towards some than towards others. These perspectives are:
People with a “positive past” orientation have very good memories of the past, and therefore try to repeat them in the present. Usually, they are warm, sentimental, kind and more confident people. They are almost never anxious or depressed and tend not to be aggressive. They enjoy music, old movies, family reunions, new people, and group celebrations. Usually, these people keep certain objects from the past that have symbolic value.
Another type of perspective is the “negative past”. For those who are more oriented towards this perspective, the past is half empty. They expect to be able to free themselves from the bad experiences of the past, which they do not recommend to anyone. They aren’t used to having a lot of friends, and the few they do describe them as unhappy, depressed, anxious, and quite shy people. Sometimes they get so frustrated that they lose control and can end up breaking things. A lot of times these are people who don’t play sports or anything fun. They have poor control over their impulses and like betting.
Another type of time perspective is “the hedonistic present”. The subjects most oriented towards this perspective are more creative and have a lot of friends. They are energetic and love adventures. When they go to a party, these are the ones that stand out the most and make everyone laugh. Their philosophy of life could be boiled down to the phrase “I do whatever I want”, and because of that, they never work very long. They are too impulsive, and are also very often attracted to risky behavior.
People who orient themselves towards “the fatalistic present” generally lack confidence. This leads them to be depressed and anxious. Usually, they are lacking in spirit and look sad. A phrase that characterizes them well is “what must happen will happen”. Among their practices are risky behaviors such as drug use. They think it’s fate that determines their lives, and what they do.
Other people are more oriented towards “the future”. They are guided by a realistic principle, and distinguish between instantaneous benefits and future costs. They are able to reject instant gratification for a greater reward to be received in the future.
Usually, they have a lot of acquaintances, but few friends. They are very concerned about the consequences and, for that, they do not like the novelty or the excitement. They plan everything and make lots of lists. They give the impression of living a race after the perpetual watch. In addition, if there is something that characterizes them, it is prudence and risk aversion.
Those who orient themselves towards “the transcendent future” are generally believers. These people believe in life after death, are faithful to a religion, and perform the rites corresponding to it, whether in the private sphere or in the public sphere. They usually have good control over their impulses, provided they are not aggressive, and are concerned about the consequences their actions may have in the future.
What is the time perspective that guides you? The creators of time perspectives offer the possibility for everyone to know theirs; to do this, simply complete a questionnaire (in English) on their web page. It should be remembered that these perspectives are not inevitable and that they can change over time due to several factors.
Our thoughts Time is the most precious thing we have in our life. What if we used it correctly instead of seeing it walk past us?
