Try Something New To Stop the Days Whizzing Past, Researchers Suggest (theguardian.com) 38
Nicola Davis reports via The Guardian: If every day appears to go in a blur, try seeking out new and interesting experiences, researchers have suggested, after finding memorable images appear to dilate time. Researchers have previously found louder experiences seem to last longer, while focusing on the clock also makes time dilate, or drag. Now researchers have discovered the more memorable an image, the more likely a person is to think they have been looking at it for longer than they actually have. Such images were also easier for participants to recall the next day. Prof Martin Wiener, co-author of the study who is based at George Mason University in the U.S., said the findings could help develop improve artificial intelligence that interacts with humans, while they also offer opportunities to tweak our perceptions, given research has previously shown non-invasive brain stimulation can be used to lengthen a perceived interval.
The results from two groups, totaling about 100 people, revealed participants were more likely to think they had been looking at small, highly cluttered scenes -- such a crammed pantry -- for a shorter duration than was the case, whereas the reverse occurred when people viewed large scenes with little clutter, such as the interior of an aircraft hangar. The team also carried out experiments involving 69 participants that found images known from previous work to be more memorable were more likely to be judged as having been shown for longer than was the case. Crucially, the effect seemed to go both ways.
"We also found that the longer the perceived subjective duration of an image, the more likely you were to remember it the next day," said Wiener. When the team carried out an analysis using deep learning models of the visual system, they discovered more memorable images were processed faster. What's more, the processing speed for an image was correlated with how long participants thought they had been looking at it. "Images may be more memorable because they are processed faster and more efficiently in the visual system, and that drives the perception of time," said Wiener. The team suggest time dilation might serve a purpose, enabling us to gather information about the world around us. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
The results from two groups, totaling about 100 people, revealed participants were more likely to think they had been looking at small, highly cluttered scenes -- such a crammed pantry -- for a shorter duration than was the case, whereas the reverse occurred when people viewed large scenes with little clutter, such as the interior of an aircraft hangar. The team also carried out experiments involving 69 participants that found images known from previous work to be more memorable were more likely to be judged as having been shown for longer than was the case. Crucially, the effect seemed to go both ways.
"We also found that the longer the perceived subjective duration of an image, the more likely you were to remember it the next day," said Wiener. When the team carried out an analysis using deep learning models of the visual system, they discovered more memorable images were processed faster. What's more, the processing speed for an image was correlated with how long participants thought they had been looking at it. "Images may be more memorable because they are processed faster and more efficiently in the visual system, and that drives the perception of time," said Wiener. The team suggest time dilation might serve a purpose, enabling us to gather information about the world around us. The findings have been published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
Old News (Score:5, Interesting)
Yes, of course (Score:5, Funny)
It's so simple! Why didn't I think of that while I'm in the office doing my job? Instead of diagnosing and resolving issues I'll just hop down to facilities maintenance, grab a wrench, then make my way to the HVAC system. I'll learn something new real quick.
Re:Yes, of course (Score:5, Funny)
Worst case scenario: you learn the exact reaction time of security personel.
If every day appears to go in a blur, ... (Score:5, Funny)
You're either drinking too much or not enough.
Re: (Score:3)
Too much is never enough.
Especially when working with people.
Re: (Score:2)
Nope. You are not smoking enough!
Re: (Score:2)
You're either drinking too much or not enough.
... but you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.
And ... (Score:5, Funny)
Researchers have previously found louder experiences seem to last longer, ...
This explains every Michael Bay movie ever.
Re: (Score:2)
Incredible news! (Score:3)
Also this just in: a watched pot never boils
And coming up at 11: watching paint dry
Re: (Score:2)
Hey, Dunbar, that's you? How you doing after all these years?
Faux researchers lie, as usual (Score:3)
When I try something new, days whizz past even faster.
Re: (Score:2)
When I try something new, days whizz past even faster.
Yep, doing the same thing, day in, day out, over and over and over again seems to make the days drag on and on.
What was that thing about the definition of insanity?
This is old, old news (Score:3)
They say hours in the library can save years in the lab. I read a long, long time ago about experiments regarding human perception of time show it to be fairly steady in the present, but when you are recalling the past its rate of passage is determined by novel memories.
Which makes sense when you think about it - it's not like we have a time clock in our heads, the only way we have to judge time is unique memories. And as you age, fewer and fewer things are novel to you, so time seems to be passing faster when you think about the past.
Do something new as often as you can and you'll feel like you're living longer. Try to make those new things good experiences, and you'll feel like you're living a longer good life. You might as well, after all once you have food and shelter taken care of what else is there to do with a life anyway?
Midlife crisis thrillseeking won't fix getting old (Score:4, Interesting)
When I was a kid in elementary school, a 15 minute recess on the playground lasted forever. Now...not so much.
Some people obviously have every brain cell blazing at every waking moment, but others don't. No sense in insinuating people should envy the subjective experience of other people, or try to emulate it with cheap brain hacks or One Weird Tricks.
Fun and excitement is fun for some people some of the time, routine is a comfort for other people at other times. Be comfortable in your own skin and in your own skull.
Learning Rust (Score:2)
I've recently lost my job, so I'm taking the time to learn Rust and write a game with it. It's really fun!
And It does feel like I've done more in the last week than in the last few months.
If anyone's interested, I'm simultaneously reading the "Rust Book" and following along a YT video tutorial entitled "Bevy 0.12 Beginner Tutorial Series." Bevy is a Rust based, ECS graphics lib that's pretty easy for beginners.
Re: (Score:1)
I can confirm that, "learning rust" is like watching rust develop. Slow, ugly and eventually destructive.
Re: (Score:2)
As was that joke!
Re: (Score:3)
Maybe, but she's really fast and resilient to Alzheimer's!
Re: (Score:2)
Sooo, Rust is so bad that you now have to do ad SPAM for it? Well, not really a surprise.
Re: (Score:2)
Rust is a programming language, dude. It's not "ad SPAM."
The /. article is about doing new things, and I commented about a new thing I'm doing now.
Re: (Score:2)
Currently evaluating Rust as a potential replacement for C in operational satellite data processing chains, so not a bad choice of language to learn.
Re: (Score:2)
The borrow checker is hard to follow, definitely frustrating. Zig also has good memory management, may want to look there as well.
Cultivate boredom! (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Another example why "longer" does not mean "better"....
I want the exact opposite (Score:1, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
This should help:
https://www.reddit.com/r/nosle... [reddit.com]
A ponderance I've had about this for some time... (Score:2)
(Does my ponderance even make sense?)
Re: (Score:2)
Research says your brain only permanently records things that it perceives as different. So "new" is probably the wrong word here. If you perceive the contents of your day as being the same as every other day, it's not going to save any of it permanently, which gives you the perspective that time has passed quickly. So variations should cause memory storage. But if you perceive these variations as normal and uninteresting, then you might not save much of those memories.
Or... (Score:2)
You could move to the moon.
Days pass 29 times slower there
Wow. Really. (Score:2)
the more memorable an image...were also easier for participants to recall the next day
NSS
Time Perception (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Who knew! (Score:2)
Goatse is the secret to immortality!