Time and the brain: the illusion of now | Hinze Hogendoorn | TEDxUtrechtUniversity
TEDx Talks・13 minutes read
The brain's perception of time is flexible, leading to experiences like time passing differently in various situations and creating gaps in visual perception. It predicts the future to compensate for processing delays, but this can pose challenges with unpredictable movements, shaping how we experience the world around us.
Insights
- The brain's processing speed impacts perception, with color processed faster than motion and form, and it predicts the future to compensate for sensory delays, as seen in professional tennis players.
- Time perception varies among individuals, influencing experiences; the brain processes the present using past and future, affecting how we perceive time – some feel it flies, others feel it crawls, with fun linked to time perception.
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Recent questions
How does the brain perceive time?
The brain's perception of time is flexible, influenced by factors like processing speed and prediction. It can create gaps in visual perception, predict the future to compensate for delays, and rewrite history to fill in gaps. This dynamic perception allows for varying experiences of time among individuals.
What influences the brain's processing speed?
The brain's processing speed affects how we perceive motion, color, and form. Color is processed faster than motion and form, impacting our visual experiences. This speed also plays a role in predicting the future and rewriting history to create a coherent understanding of events.
Why do some individuals feel time passes quickly while others feel it drags?
Time perception varies among individuals, with some feeling time flies while others feel it crawls. Those who perceive time as flying reported having more fun than those who felt time was crawling. The brain processes the present as a mix of past and future, influencing how we experience time.
How does the brain compensate for delays in processing sensory information?
The brain compensates for delays in processing sensory information by predicting the future based on the past. This prediction helps in creating a coherent understanding of events and experiences, despite challenges posed by unpredictable movements or gaps in visual perception.
Can the brain rewrite history to create a dynamic perception of time?
Yes, the brain can rewrite history by filling in gaps in visual input and altering perceptions of time. This ability allows for a dynamic perception of events and time, influencing how we experience the world around us. By revisiting the past and predicting the future, the brain constructs a coherent understanding of time and events.
Related videos
Summary
00:00
Brain's Time Perception: Flexibility and Predictions
- Change requires time and the understanding of the concept of "now" and "when is now" in the brain.
- Time perception in the brain can be flexible, leading to experiences like time passing differently in different situations.
- The brain can create gaps in visual perception, such as not seeing one's own eyes move, due to the speed of eye movement.
- The brain's processing speed affects how we perceive motion, color, and form, with color being processed faster than motion and form.
- The brain predicts the future to compensate for delays in processing sensory information, as seen in professional tennis players.
- Predicting the future can lead to challenges when dealing with unpredictable movements, like hitting a housefly in midair.
- The brain can rewrite history by filling in gaps in visual input, as seen in the chronostasis illusion with clocks.
- An experiment showed that the brain can rewrite larger periods of history, as participants perceived a task lasting longer or shorter than it actually did.
- The brain's ability to rewrite history allows for a dynamic perception of time and events, influencing how we experience the world around us.
14:08
"Time perception impacts fun and memories"
- Time perception varies among individuals, with some feeling time flies while others feel it crawls; those who perceived time as flying reported having more fun than those who felt time was crawling. The brain processes the present as a mix of past and future, compensating for delays by predicting the future based on the past, leading to discrepancies in perception when the future is unpredictable. Despite these challenges, the brain can reconstruct memories and experiences by revisiting the past, allowing for a coherent understanding of the world.
