Exercise slows time perception, study finds

It's a common feeling that time seems to slow down when you're exercising. This phenomenon is backed by a recent study published in Brain and Behavior.

Prior studies have shown that exercising, especially at maximum effort, alters your perception of how quickly time passes. However, those studies mostly focused on predetermined exercise intensities.

This new research, on the other hand, investigated how time perception changes during self-paced workouts.

The Study

Conducted by Canterbury Christ Church University, this research involved 33 participants—16 women and 17 men—who were physically active but not professional cyclists.

Each participant completed a simulated 4-km cycling trial on a Velotron, an indoor bike equipped with software to display the course on a large screen.

Participants were asked to estimate the length of 30-second and 60-second intervals under various conditions.

These included riding solo with only their avatar visible, participating alongside a passive companion avatar, and engaging in competitive trials against an active opponent avatar.

The goal was to complete the course as quickly as possible and, in the competitive scenario, finish before the opponent.

Participants indicated the start and end of each time interval without knowing their actual timing, ensuring estimates were unaffected by prior feedback.

Estimates were recorded at different stages of the exercise—at 500m, 1500m, and 2500m into the trial—and two minutes after finishing.

Participants also reported their rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to indicate how intensely they felt they were exercising.

The Results

The study showed that participants perceived time to move slower during physical activity compared to rest, regardless of whether the exercise was competitive or non-competitive.

This suggests that the act of exercising itself, rather than the surrounding conditions, affects time perception.

The results were consistent throughout the different measurement points, whether early or late in the session.

According to Andrew Mark Edwards, a study co-author and a professor at Canterbury Christ Church University, "Our perception of time is indeed impacted by exercise."

This insight could be valuable in sports and exercise strategies, potentially helping to mitigate moments when time appears to drag and motivation wanes.

While not everyone is an elite athlete, most people are familiar with how time seems to crawl during a tough workout. A potential solution? Engage with a friend or listen to a playlist to make time feel like it's passing more quickly.

Source: womenshealthmag

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