The idea that things in our environment, or even our own emotional states, can affect how we experience time is a common one. We say that time “drags” when we’re bored and it “flies” when we’re having fun. But how might this happen?
An experiment by Kevin H. Roberts of the University of British Columbia hypothesized that our motivation to approach positive stimuli or experiences would make us less sensitive to temporal details. Change in these stimuli or experiences would, therefore, seem relatively smooth, similar to what happens when you press ‘fast forward’ on a video. Our desire to avoid negative stimuli or experiences, on the other hand, would enhance our sensitivity to temporal details and would make changes seem more discrete and choppy, similar to a slow-motion video. In support of the hypothesis, it was found that people rate images containing positive content as fading more smoothly compared with neutral and negative images, even when they faded at the same rate.
Read the complete article from the Association for Psychological Science here: Appetizing Imagery Puts Visual Perception on Fast Forward
There may be a fundamental bias in the way people prefer to see moving items depicted in pictures according to research.
An analysis of photos of people and objects in motion revealed a common left-to-right bias.
Psychologist Dr Peter Walker of Lancaster University said this widespread evidence for such a left-to-right bias could indicate a possible fundamental bias for visual motion, and would explain why all the main characters in the side-scrolling video games popular in the 1980s and 1990s (eg Super Mario) run from left to right.
Read the complete article from Lancaster University here: Why Super Mario Runs from Left to Right
Why does the second hour of a journey seem shorter than the first? Research suggests that the answer lies in how we're physically oriented in space. Research has demonstrated that a person's orientation -- the direction they are headed -- changed how they thought of an object or event. "Feeling close to or distant from something impacts our behavior and judgment," says the lead author. "We feel more socially connected, more emotionally engaged, and more attuned to the present when something is perceived as close."
Read the complete article from the Association for Psychological Science here: Uncovering a New Angle on Mental Distance
