The perception of time changes depending on the situation. For example, traveling to unfamiliar places make days longer than at home. Time seems slow when a person misses or experiences pain, and accelerates in moments of immersion in a fascinating lesson, like music or dancing. Many people notice that with age, time begins to fly faster.
However, this is only soft changes. There are more extreme phenomena known as “time expansion experiences” (TEES). At such moments, seconds are stretched for minutes, for example, in accidents or other critical situations. Studies show that 85% of people experienced at least one such case.
Often, such moments help to avoid serious injuries or even save a life. One example: a woman who avoided the fall of a metal barrier on a car, described how the “slowdown in time” allowed her to find a way out. In sports, this is also found: the hockey player told how eight seconds of the game seemed like ten minutes. TEES also occurs during meditation, contemplation of nature, or taking psychedelics.
One of the reasons may be the release of norepinephrine that activates the reaction “Fight or Flight.” However, this theory does not explain the calmness that people experience. For example, a woman who fell from a horse spoke of a feeling of complete calm, despite the danger.
Perhaps this is an evolutionary mechanism that allowed our ancestors to slow down time to increase the chances of survival. But it does not explain cases in safe situations. Some believe that these are not real experiences, but illusions of memories: under stress, the brain fixates more details, creating the impression of a slowdown in time.
However, most people are sure that this is happening in the moment. For example, in a poll of 280 people, only 3% considered TEES an illusion, 87% were confident in the reality of such experiences.
The key to understanding TEES lies in altered states of consciousness. Shock or superconcentration can cause “super-absorption” when the mind is completely focused, and time slows down. In such states, a sense of time is associated with a sensation of oneself: the boundaries between a person and the world are blurred, creating a feeling of “departure from the usual time.”