Hypnotizability and Time Reproduction

Hypnotizability is a psychophysiological trait associated with structural variation in brain regions implicated in time perception, such as the cerebellum and the insula. This study investigated time reproduction across different interval durations in individuals with varying levels of hypnotizability. Forty healthy, right-handed participants of both sexes were assessed using the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form A and completed a time reproduction task consisting of visually presented intervals of 1, 3, 6, and 8 s (10 trials per duration). Relative proportional error (RE) and absolute proportional error (AE) were analyzed using mixed-effects models estimating the interaction between hypnotizability and interval duration through polynomial contrasts, with random intercepts and duration slopes for participants. Heart rate, sex, trait anxiety, and absorption were included as covariates. RE showed only a significant main effect of interval duration, with shorter intervals overestimated and longer intervals underestimated. AE showed a significant interaction between hypnotizability and the linear component of interval duration, indicating that higher hypnotizability was associated with a steeper decrease in AE as interval duration increased. The relatively lower precision at shorter intervals is consistent with attenuated sensory processing, whereas the relatively higher precision at longer intervals may reflect better functional coupling between executive and salience networks previously observed in highly hypnotizable individuals. The reduced precision at shorter intervals may be more consistent with cerebellar than insular involvement. Differences in time perception may be linked to reported associations between hypnotizability and an altered sense of agency and body ownership.