Chapter 1
The brain's autopilot and why years vanish
Chapter 2
The oddball effect and the science of surprise
Chapter 3
The holiday paradox and the two minds of time
Chapter 4
Free falls and fear: can we see in slow motion?
Chapter 5
Stealing time back: how to live a longer life today
YOUR GOAL
Master of The mind's time machine
Ch 3 · The holiday paradox and the two minds of time
artiteacher The Holiday Paradox
A journey flies fast in the blink of an eye, But memory stretches the days that went by.
artiteacher Constantly checking the clock makes waiting room minutes drag, yet the eventless afternoon ultimately shrinks to a tiny
artiteacher A diagram showing how routine accelerates time while novelty stretches a single moment
Fun Fact
The return trip effect: The phenomenon where a return journey feels shorter than the outbound trip occurs even when both routes take the exact same physical time.
Glossary
holiday paradox (noun)
A psychological phenomenon in which an eventful period seems to pass quickly while occurring but feels long in retrospect. Psychology writer Claudia Hammond coined the term to explain how our brains process vacations retrospectively.
A psychological phenomenon in which an eventful period seems to pass quickly while occurring but feels long in retrospect. Psychology writer Claudia Hammond coined the term to explain how our brains process vacations retrospectively.
Quiz
In a time perception experiment, how do complex and engaging puzzles affect a participant's retrospective time?
Quiz
What is the primary cause of the 'return trip effect' where the walk back feels shorter?
Quiz
Why does a boring day feel incredibly long while you are actually living through it?
Quiz
How does the brain calculate how much time has passed when we look back at a holiday?
Quiz
Who coined the term 'the holiday paradox' to describe how travel warps our memory of time?