COVID-19 and temporal perception: prolonged short-term time perception in a post-pandemic world

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted daily life and mental health.
• Previous research noted long-term time perception distortions during the pandemic.
• The effect of the pandemic on short-term time perception remained underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on short-term time perception.
• To determine if high-arousal negative events, like the pandemic, alter fine-scale time perception.

Main Methods:

• A duration discrimination paradigm was employed across two sessions.
• Participants compared the duration of COVID-19 related images versus neutral images.
• Physiological arousal levels were monitored and correlated with time perception.

Main Results:

• COVID-19 related images were perceived as significantly longer than neutral images.
• This temporal dilation effect was consistent across sessions.
• The dilation correlated with heightened arousal and persisted long-term, unaffected by anxiety.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic, as a high-arousal negative event, induces temporal dilation for short time intervals.
• This finding extends our understanding of how negative emotional events interact with cognitive processes, specifically time perception.
• The observed temporal dilation effect is robust, arousal-dependent, and long-lasting.