Why time doesn’t fly when you are having fun

IF you feel like your bank holiday weekend whizzed by, a simple trick might make the next one seem a little longer.

Experiencing new things makes us think that time has lasted longer than it really did, according to a brain specialist.

US neuroscientist David Eagleman, a professor at Stanford University, said that novel experiences such as visiting an unknown place or enjoying a new activity give the impression of stretching time. Going away for the weekend seems longer than staying at home and exploring a new neighbourhood feels like it takes more time than staying indoors, he said.

Even a weekend with a good book – as long as it is a new one – will seem like you have had a longer break. Professor Eagle- man said that the phenomenon is due to the brain being more focused on turning unfamiliar information into a memory.

Speaking to blog site Science of Us, he said: ‘When you go and experience something novel, it seems to have lasted longer. It’s why time seems to fly by so much faster as an adult... When you’re a kid, everything is novel and you’re laying down new memories about it’. Professor Eagleman, whose book The Brain: The Story of You studies the brain, said: ‘When you look back at the end of a childhood summer, it seems to have taken a long time because you remember this and that, this new thing, learning that..

‘But when you’re older, you’ve sort of seen all the patterns before’. The only catch is that the effect only works in hindsight – or at the end of your break.