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The flow of time

1. Think of how you would answer these questions before reading.

1. How do people experience time in their daily lives? (When having fun/when you're bored/focused, etc)
2. When you were a child, did time feel like it passed more slowly or quickly? Why do you think that is?
3. Have you ever noticed time moving faster or slower depending on what you are doing? Can you give an example?
4. Do you think animals experience time the same way humans do? Why or why not?

2. Read the summary of a BBC article on “Time” and answer the questions below.

Henri Bergson’s theory of time

Henri Bergson, a prominent philosopher, proposed that humans experience time differently from the scientific measurement of time. In his 1889 thesis Time and Free Will, he argued that clock time is a misconception. We experience time as a continuous flow, unlike the discrete units used in science. For us, time can speed up or slow down, making psychological time subjective.

Does time pass more slowly when we are younger?

As children, time feels slower because we encounter many new experiences, which require more processing. As adults, with more familiar experiences, time seems to pass faster because our brains process less new information.

Does time really fly when you’re having fun?

While time seems to fly when we're having fun, it's not the enjoyment itself but our level of focus. Engaging in an activity or being distracted with a goal can make time feel like it's passing quickly, whereas boredom leads to "clock-watching" and makes time seem to drag.

Our perception of time is different after the event

Our memories shape how we perceive time. Events with new, emotional, or unfamiliar experiences seem longer in retrospect, while mundane moments seem shorter. This happens because strong memories act as markers in our perception of time.