Time Speeding Up

Time Speeding Up

DieselHorseLAW 23 Feb 2011 02:58

So I have always thought the speed of which time passes is a perceived thing. I have read things talking about time speeding up, some say it has something to do with our universe accelerating. I've read it ties into Einstein's relativity somehow. According to some there is scientific proof of time speeding up and to others it is how you perceive it. I know about a month ago when I was having a bad spell of anxiety, every day/night seemed to drag on forever with me worrying and sitting up not being able to sleep. Now that I'm feeling a bit better it feels like every day is flying by and I hate that feeling because I dread next year, and it's almost like I'm being thrown at it faster and faster. Of course I don't want to go back to the so anxious I can't function feelings to make time seem to go by slow again, but yeah. I am just wondering everyone's opinion on this.

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“In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.” - Oscar Wilde

Moo (guest) 23 Feb 2011 07:55

It depends on how largely you take hold of the theory of relativity. In my opinion, it is ultimately perception.

Time drags on when you're bored, or doing something tedious. Your brain has slowed down, because of the lack of stimulation fueling it.

Time accelerates when you're entertained, or doing something fun. Your brain has to keep up with these levels of excitement, and works faster.

As a result, things don't tend to drag on when you're immersed in something. However, time is not speeding up or slowing down in either scenario. It's merely a perception of time.

Alene Y 23 Feb 2011 21:38

I agree with Moo and the others, but I think there is an additional element to it. Time seems to accelerate for everyone as they get older. To a 1 year old, the past year has been their entire life so far. To a 10 year old, it has been 1/10 of their life, and to a 20 year old, only 1/20 of their life. It begins to feel like a much shorter time than previous years had. Something that happened to you 6 months ago seems pretty recent, but to a baby, it would be a very long time ago.

Re: Time Speeding Up

3WMElliott 23 Feb 2011 08:22

I think Moo's on the money there.

If I remember it right you can only really slow down time, and only then it's relative to another observer - your personal time keeps on ticking second by second. There must be a handy YouTube guide to general relativity and whatnot somewhere. It certainly raises interesting questions.

Re: Time Speeding Up

JamesJJlm 23 Feb 2011 14:01

Yeah I agree with Moo. I can speed up time with my adderall, but slows wayyyyyy down if I don't take it. Very much a perception thing. I wish I could make work go faster.

Re: Time Speeding Up

obaeyens 24 Feb 2011 18:37

You will never experience a time dilation when you are in one. No clock would show it inside your space ship.
The illusion that time goes faster has been explained that when a lot of things happens, your brain stores many different impulses. But when nothing much happens, your brain will only store interesting impulses and won't even bother to store the boring parts. It gives you the illusion that time slowed or speed up because you count the number of stored events.

Last edited on 24 Feb 2011 18:38 by obaeyens Show more