Surely you have heard this saying or even said it yourself.
Why?
Because when we are fully engaged in an activity our sense of time (perceptual time) is different to the clock’s time.
There was a major study done on this topic in 2012.
Here is the conclusion of the study.
“Although we tend to believe that time flies when we’re having a good time, these studies indicate what it is about the enjoyable time that causes it to go by more quickly,” says Gable. “It seems to be the goal pursuit or achievement-directed action we’re engaged in that matters. Just being content or satisfied may not make time fly, but being excited or actively pursuing a desired object can.”
In Creative Fire we learned that surprise (the emotional kick) inspires a person to say “do it again” or
“give me more” creating a strong desire. It motivates us and kickstarts goal-directed actions.
When this happens, our internal sense of time moves faster.
But when we habituate, boredom can happen, then our internal sense of time moves slower, it drags.
What you can do!
You can control your own internal clock, and the internal clock of your students! How? Simply by injecting fun into your classroom. Fluctuating between predictability and surprise you create chase, that is motivation, enthusiasm, creativity, wonder. It's how you affect the learners attention, anticipation, memory, motivation! All key parts of learning would you agree?
When you watch a thrilling movie, have you ever wondered why the time seems to go fast? When playing sport, have you ever wondered why the time seems to go fast? When playing games, have you ever wondered why the time seems to go fast?
Now you know!
The secret is:
environment
predictability
surprise!
reward
With surprise you will buy attention, spend it wisely! $$$$$
If you would like to read the actual study that we quoted, please download, enjoy.
Additional Reading
Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute
This article expands on brain chemistry and its connection to fun
Hard to Break - Why Our Brains Make Habits Stick (deep study)
This book explains how dopamine is essential for building habits. It includes loads of evidence-based studies demonstrating how the brain works, from establishing cues, rules, and motivation.
