Hey Foreign Bodies, somehow it’s Friday again. For many of us, the pandemic has warped all sense of time. Days blend, weeks feel too long and it feels surreal knowing we don’t yet have an expiration date for our stagnant reality.
Interested in how our emotions alter our perception of time, I came across this Association for Psychological Science cover story from 2018, which gets deep into “the integral role that happiness, sadness, fear, and other emotions play in the way we feel the passing of seconds and minutes.” One researcher noted that fear, an emotion many of us are likely feeling right now, does indeed distort our experiences to make time go slower—to better prepare us “to act as fast as possible in case of danger.”
What can we do to speed up time a little, add some thrill to this weariness? “Just being content or satisfied may not make time fly,” says psychological scientist Philip Gable. “But being excited or actively pursuing a desired object can.”
So, friends, what’s something exciting you want to do this weekend to bookend the gloom? I’m not necessarily looking for productive plans, but if those thrill you, share!
This isn't really exciting for a lot of people but I'm going to be unpacking some boxes from when I was a kid lol! going down memory lane and organizing are both exciting for me and I think it will help me pass the time but I miss having plans that involve going out to meet friens!
Going on my first hike Sunday since fall last year after a fracture kept me from the trails. I am very excited in many ways emotionally and physically. It will be a wonderful way to keep my adrenaline pumping and speed up time, I think:)
I'll start. I'm...learning how to ride a bike for the first time! 😳 A bit terrified, but I've got a helmet and my adrenaline is already pumping.
This isn't really exciting for a lot of people but I'm going to be unpacking some boxes from when I was a kid lol! going down memory lane and organizing are both exciting for me and I think it will help me pass the time but I miss having plans that involve going out to meet friens!
Going on my first hike Sunday since fall last year after a fracture kept me from the trails. I am very excited in many ways emotionally and physically. It will be a wonderful way to keep my adrenaline pumping and speed up time, I think:)
I'm planning to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge! Also learn to make sushi