cover image by はたらくじん
Everyday experiences greatly influence our perception of time. As the saying goes, "Time flies when you're having fun," the nature of the experience can make time feel faster or slower.
According to recent research, viewing particularly impressive photos can make time feel longer than it actually is. This phenomenon has been scientifically proven by a research team at George Mason University.
Image by eriko
Viewing Memorable Images
In the experiment, participants were shown photos of various scenes at short intervals.
Participants viewed images of different scenes for 300 milliseconds to 1 second and were asked how long they felt they were looking at the images. Interestingly, when viewing vast or impressive images, time felt "longer," whereas images of cluttered rooms made time feel "shorter." This differs from past research, indicating that more memorable images tend to expand our sense of time.
Image by Ryuji
Memorable Images and Time Perception
Furthermore, the research team invited participants back to the lab to test how well they remembered the images they had seen before. The results showed that images which felt like they lasted longer were remembered more accurately. In other words, the perception of "long" time when viewing an image actually enhanced the memory of that image.
Image by kazikr
Why Memorable Images Feel Longer
To further analyze this phenomenon, the research team processed memorable images using neural networks. The results revealed that more memorable images are processed more quickly. This suggests that the brain attempts to process important information more efficiently, thereby expanding the sense of time.
Image by dede dos
The Special Power of Photos
This research reveals how viewing beautiful photos not only brings joy but also affects the brain. Photos capture moments and have the potential to linger in our memory for a long time. They hold value as tools that shape our perception of time.
