Prompt Cast
Understanding How Our Perception of Time Works and How to Control It
TLDR Our perception of time is influenced by neurochemical states and external factors like light exposure, and disruptions in circadian entrainment can lead to health problems. By exposing oneself to bright light in the morning and throughout the day and avoiding bright light at night, precise circadian entrainment can be ensured. Additionally, our perception of time is influenced by neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin, and tasks that require cognitive abilities are better suited for the morning while tasks that require creativity are better suited for the afternoon.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Our perception of time is directly linked to neurochemical states that control mood, stress, happiness, and excitement, and understanding how time perception works allows us to control the speed at which we experience life.
05:17
Our perception of time is influenced by entrainment, which is the way our internal processes are linked to external factors like circannual rhythms, such as the amount of light we are exposed to, which affects the release of melatonin and can impact our energy levels and mood throughout the year.
10:57
Exposure to light, particularly sunlight on the skin, can increase testosterone and estrogen levels, which can impact mood, energy, and behavior, and our perception of time is influenced by both conscious factors like watching the clock and slower oscillatory events related to day length that affect hormones like melatonin, testosterone, and estrogen.
16:34
Disruptions in circadian entrainment can lead to health problems such as increased cancer risk, obesity, mental health issues, decreased wound healing, and decreased physical and mental performance, and one way to ensure precise circadian entrainment is to expose oneself to bright light, ideally sunlight, in the morning and throughout the day, and avoid bright light at night.
21:47
Ultradian entrainment refers to the 90-minute cycles that govern our sleep and waking activities, with the brain being most focused and alert during the first 90 minutes of wakefulness before experiencing a drop in focus, which is due to the release of neurochemicals like acetylcholine and dopamine.
27:15
Our perception of time is influenced by neurochemicals like dopamine and serotonin, with more dopamine leading to an overestimation of time passed.
32:44
Elevated levels of dopamine and norepinephrine cause people to overestimate the amount of time that has passed, while serotonin causes people to underestimate the amount of time that has passed, leading to different perceptions of time throughout the day.
38:05
Moving difficult tasks to the early part of the day is beneficial because our cognitive abilities, including time perception, are better in the morning due to increased activity in dopaminergic and noradrenergic circuits, while tasks that require creativity and flexibility are better suited for the afternoon when our serotonergic state enhances time perception.
43:40
Our memory system uses both a space code (specific neurons that fire) and a rate code (how quickly those neurons fire) to store and recall memories, allowing for flexibility and efficient memory storage.
48:59
Increases in dopamine are associated with increases in spontaneous blink rate, and every time we blink, our perception of time shifts, leading to overestimations of time.
54:06
The dopaminergic state affects both our perception of time in the present moment and our memory of past events, with fun and varied experiences seeming to go by quickly in the moment but being remembered as longer, while boring or disliked experiences seem to take a long time in the moment but are remembered as shorter.
59:25
Experiencing novelty with someone can make them feel more familiar and as if more time has been spent with them, regardless of the actual amount of time spent together, highlighting the role of neuromodulators and novelty in shaping our perception of time and our relationships with people and places.
01:04:45
Placing specific habitual routines at particular intervals throughout your day can help incorporate the dopamine system, divide your day into functional units, and shape your perception of time.
Categories:
Health & Fitness
Science
