Exercise has long been touted for both its physical and mental health benefits, but recent research adds an intriguing twist to the understanding of its effects, indicating it can also alter the perception of time.and led by researchers from the U.K. and The Netherlands indicates that time seems to slow down when people engage in physical activity.
The findings revealed a significant distortion in the participants' perception of time during exercise. Specifically, time appeared to stretch, making periods of physical activity feel longer than they actually were. This phenomenon was consistent regardless of the presence of virtual competitors, indicating that the act of exercising itself, rather than whether other individuals were preset, was responsible for this time-warping effect.
The paper suggests that if time perception can be manipulated to make workouts feel less burdensome or lengthy, more people could be encouraged to engage in regular physical activity, improving overall health and fitness levels. For example, shorter, high-intensity workouts that feel longer could be integrated into fitness regimes, providing the benefits of extended exercise sessions without the associated time commitment.
However, the researchers are keen to point out the limitations of the study, including that the participants in the study were all quite fit and exercised regularly to start with, so they can't say whether the results would be similar for people who are less fit and don't partake in regular exercise.
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