Learning new movements makes time feel slower, neuroscience study finds
A study in the journal iScience shows that time seems to pass more slowly while a person learns a new motor skill. Participants perceived stimuli as 25% longer than they really were.
When someone picks up a new dance step, an unfamiliar sport or a handicraft technique, time can seem to drag. A study published in the scientific journal iScience suggests this is no coincidence: while people learn new motor skills, the brain stretches subjective time perception. One of the authors, cognitive neuroscientist Nicola Binetti of Tor Vergata University of Rome in Italy, discussed the findings with the portal Science-Alert.
What the experiment showed
Researchers observed brain activity while people were acquiring new movement skills. Participants perceived stimuli as 25% longer than they actually were. Binetti noted that this is a fairly large deviation for a perceptual illusion. The scientists also did not expect training to strengthen the effect rather than reduce it: although the fingers moved more skilfully with each session, time seemed to pass ever more slowly.
Why it happens
The researchers consider it an neurobiological mechanism shaped by evolution, not a perception error. Routine actions, such as walking a familiar path or driving, are handled by the brain on autopilot to save resources. A new, coordinated movement requires the motor cortex and cerebellum to process a large volume of signals from the sense organs, predict muscle contractions and correct tiny errors at the same time. According to the authors, the brain then increases the number of perceptual frames per second, which makes time feel stretched. It resembles slow motion and allows decisions to be made faster than normal perception speed would permit.
A temporary effect
Once the new movement is polished and becomes automated muscle memory, the brain returns to energy-saving mode. Time flows normally again, and the movement no longer feels long or complicated.
The authors say the findings help explain both how athletes and musicians reach a high level of mastery and how people experience time in everyday life. They also note that anyone who wants life to pass more slowly should challenge the body and brain with new, unfamiliar movements.
