The Heart Can Sway Our Perception of Time

By Anton Benz & Daisy Yuhas in Scientific America (2023)

First, it races away unstoppably—then it seems to stand still. Our perception of time is anything but constant. Two new studies suggest our heartbeat can cause passing moments to drag or fly.

The experiments, led by separate research groups, have uncovered complementary findings. Together, their work confirms that the heart’s activity influences our perception of time as it passes. “It shows that you can’t look at [the experience of time] in isolation from the body,” says cognitive neuroscientist Irena Arslanova of Royal Holloway, University of London, who is lead author of one of the studies.