Felt Time summary

Introduction

Felt Time by Mark Whitman This book explores how we perceive and organize time. Tick-tock, tick-tock, does it ever feel like a constant clock is following you? Have you noticed how time seems to fly during exciting conversations? But then it drags on, becoming irritating, in a doctor's waiting room.

We all possess an internal clock. Sometimes it runs quickly and unnoticed. Other times, it dawdles at the pace of a tired donkey. This book will teach you about your inner psychological and physiological clock.

You will learn why time sometimes feels like it is flying by, and why other times, a minute seems to last forever. Explore how your brain perceives time, and how you can best organize your time.

Psychological and Physiological Clocks

Psychological and Physiological Clocks. We possess psychological and physiological clocks. These help us stay tuned to the passage of time. Before clocks were invented, how did humans gauge time?

Clocks have existed for only a tiny fraction of human evolution. Luckily, we have psychological mechanisms to track time. Oxford psychologist Michelle Triesman proposed a psychological clock. This pioneering idea emerged in the 1960s.

According to Triesman, our brains have a pacemaker. It emits pulses at regular intervals. These pulses are collected by a counter in our minds. Our brains determine time's passage by the number of pulses detected.

Triesman argued the counter registers pulses only when we pay attention. For instance, this occurs when we are waiting for something. When distracted, fewer pulses are counted. This makes time seem to pass more quickly.

A more recent theory posits we estimate duration. We gauge the intellectual and emotional exertion events require. New experiences often feel longer, demanding greater perception, thought, and emotion. We also have a physiological clock.

It is known as our circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is a biological process. It involves changes in our bodies. These changes respond to daily light cycles.

Cognitive performance is affected by our circadian rhythm. Many cognitive operations peak before noon. They slow down as the day progresses. Our bodies follow circadian rhythms even without sunlight.

In the 1960s, Girij and Askoff conducted experiments. Volunteers were kept in a room with no natural light. Askoff found their sleep schedule and body temperature still followed a circadian rhythm.