WE tend to think of time as a linear experience. Up until now is in the past and, other than this fleeting moment, the rest is in the future.
This conceptualisation of time feels as if it makes logical sense, and yet it fails to explain the psychological concepts of time, such as how time can feel as if it's whizzed by, while at other times, it seems to have dragged.
Claudia Hammond, the author of Time Warped: Unlocking the Secrets of Time Perception, discusses time as an experience we bring to our mind and, in particular, memories.
We can recall the past, but autobiographical memories aren't video recordings from the archives.
They are reconstructions of events, changed slightly each time they are recalled, then filed away again.
Our perception of time is mostly psychological. But when we feel as if time is rushing by, and we want to slow it down, it's useful to understand that the experience comes from laying down lots of memories, which have been created by living a full life with not too much routine.
However, feeling bored, depressed or lonely aren't desired states, no matter how slow it makes the passage of time.
Hammond tells us, "if you can create a life which feels both novel and entertaining in the present, the weeks and years will feel long in retrospect.
Even varying your route to work can make a difference. The more memories you can create for yourself in everyday life, the longer your life will feel when you look back".
