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Interesting Theory on Human Perception and The Passage of Time

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https://qz.com/1516804/physics-explains-why-time-passes-faster-as-you-age/ Peer reviewed and edited paper, but not yet published. Interesting read and something I've always been fascinated by. "Bejan is obsessed with flow and, basically, believes physics principles can explain everything. He has written extensively about how the principles of flow in physics dictate and explain the movement of abstract concepts, like economics. Last year, he won the Franklin Institute’s Benjamin Franklin Medal for “his pioneering interdisciplinary contributions…and for constructal theory, which predicts natural design and its evolution in engineering, scientific, and social systems.” In his latest paper, he examines the mechanics of the human mind and how these relate to our understanding of time, providing a physical explanation for our changing mental perception as we age."
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Vincent.H
1698
Jan 17, 2019
Another theory I've heard is that each second is proportionally a smaller percentage of your life. When you are ten, one additional year is 10% of what you've experienced thus far. When you're 50, that percentage is much smaller and so feels like it goes by quicker. I'm sure I'm not explaining it thoroughly but I've always thought it was pretty interesting.
Duncan
3731
Jan 15, 2019
Great read. This bit sums it up nicely: "There’s an inversely proportional relationship between stimuli processing and the sense of time speeding by, Bejan says. So, when you are young and experiencing lots of new stimuli—everything is new—time actually seems to be passing more slowly. As you get older, the production of mental images slows, giving the sense that time passes more rapidly."
Vincent.H
1698
Jan 17, 2019
DuncanThis leads to the theory of how to make time feel like it is passing slower: try new things constantly. If you travel to new places, pick up new hobbies, and just otherwise break out of a routine your brain is kept stimulated and alert. The theory posits that routine leads your brain to go on autopilot and not experience the passage of time (how many times have you blanked out when you leave your house for work, only to suddenly find yourself at the office without much memory of the commute?) whereas breaking out of the routine causes you to be more conscious and thus experience time slower.
Asheikm
2537
Jan 14, 2019
Very cool! I had a similar thought a few years back, and formulated the below thought experiment. I was thinking along experiential rates, but it's pretty close to the idea in the article. What do you think?
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dEXP>0 indicates increased work that needs to be done by our sensory information processing centers (lets say this is the brain). dEXP<0 indicates reduction in work needed by our sensory information processing centers. Could we experience more life by operating at dEXP>0 than dEXP=0 (area under the curve is different)? Per unit experience, does perception of time change?
AsheikmI see repairing watches isn't your only hobby!
Asheikm
2537
Jan 17, 2019
Vintage1982BenzLol! I have a few other obsessions, I mean hobbies...
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