Time flies when we’re having fun, but new research shows that the effect also works in reverse.When people believe that time has passed unexpectedly quickly, they rate tasks as more engaging, noises as less irritating, and songs as more enjoyable.
Volunteers participated in a variety of tasks during which time was manipulated (e.g., they were told 10 minutes had passed when in fact it was 5 or 20 minutes). Volunteers enjoyed a word task more when time passed surprisingly quickly compared to when time was surprisingly slow. Study participants also rated their favorite song as being more enjoyable when time passed quickly compared to when time dragged on. In addition, this effect occurred when volunteers were exposed to irritating sounds, suggesting that our perception of time may influence how we perceive our experiences.
Source: Association for Psychological Science : You’re Having Fun When Time Flies The Hedonic Consequences of Subjective Time Progression Aaron M. Sackett,Leif D. Nelson, Tom Meyvis, Benjamin A. Converse and Anna L. Sackett
