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Our sense of time is constantly changing. Sometimes it feels like time stands still, other times it flies by. When you are on a thrilling roller coaster, time seems to pass more slowly. But when you are gaming and completely lost in the game, time passes quickly because you are not paying attention to the clock.
Days sometimes seem like years, while years sometimes pass like days. Our perception of time is constantly changing, and so it is during dating. Because you may have noticed: sometimes dates go by really quickly and sometimes they last way too long, even though they both actually last the same amount of time. The factor that can cause your perception of time to change during a date? The attractiveness of the other person, according to recent research .
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Short speed dates, variable time
A group of researchers organized a speed dating event for 37 singles at a bar near the University of Minho in Portugal. The participants then went on a series of short speed dates with candidates of the opposite sex. The length of these dates was variable – each date had a different time. The participants were then asked to rate how attractive they found the person and to estimate the length of each date.
Because the participants were not allowed to use devices that could tell the time, the researchers got an honest picture of the perception of time during the dates. It turned out that when the women were on a date and they found the candidate attractive, their perception of time changed. With the attractive candidates, they estimated that the dates lasted longer. For them, the date lasted longer than it actually did.
When men went on a date with a candidate they found attractive, their perception of time also changed. But for them, time did not pass more slowly. For men, time actually passed more quickly – they estimated their dates to be shorter. The reverse was also true when men and women did not find the candidate attractive. For women, time passed more quickly, while the date, according to the men, actually lasted longer.
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How can this be explained?
The researchers believe this is because women think more when they are on a date with an attractive candidate. They process more information and pay more attention to assessing the person they are talking to in ways other than sex appeal . So for them, a lot happens in a short period of time, which makes it seem as if time slows down.
In contrast, the researchers claim that men think a little less when they are on a date with an attractive candidate. Men know they find the other person attractive, so they think less and are more focused on having fun, which can contribute to the feeling that time flies.
According to social psychologist Dr. Justin Lehmiller, who reviewed the research, the study suggests that time seems to pass differently for men and women when they’re on a date with someone they find attractive. “The study also has a number of limitations,” Lehmiller said. “Not the least of which is that it was a small sample of young adults. Therefore, more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.”
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