Time Perception: Your Brain vs. Your Timepiece/Watch
The approximate amount of days that you’re alive from the day you’re born until the day you turn 85 years old is 31,131. Considering that you sleep anywhere from a fourth to a third of your life, that leaves approximately 20,858 – 23,348 days being awake. But, of course, that is if you’re lucky enough to become an octogenarian.
As a doctor, I can tell you that a lot of people aren’t that lucky. In fact, the average lifespan of a person who lives in the United States of America is approximately 78 years old. Your time in this life is fleeting. Is it any wonder you feel the need to ascertain, control, and even create more time for yourself?
How the Brain Experiences Time
Your brain has a network of neurons capable of subjectively determining time. It doesn’t work like a timepiece or watch, though. Your brain doesn’t measure time on a 60-minute scale. Instead, neurons located in parts of the frontal and temporal lobes perceive time through the experiences you have and the memories you make. A study done at NTNU’s Kavli’s Institute for Systems Neuroscience found that “the brain makes sense of time as an event is experienced.” What you measure is subjective time, derived from the ongoing flow of experiences you have. Your brain determines time by organizing your experiences and the memories you make into a logical sequence of events.
Your Brain’s Internal Clock
Outside of your experiences, your brain also measures time according to the natural laws of the solar system. Your brain also has its own internal clock known as circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm responds to the rise and fall of daylight. As a result, your brain goes through physical, mental, behavioral, and chemical changes as the sun rises and sets. One notable change includes the pineal gland producing melatonin, as the sun sets, which makes you sleepy. As the sun rises, the pineal gland stops producing melatonin.
The Importance of a Timepiece/Watch
A timepiece measures time very differently than the brain does. Humans created timepieces to measure time using seconds, minutes, and hours. Timepieces allow you to objectively determine time through an agreement with other members of society. The agreement allows everyone to coordinate their life based on a 24-hour cycle. Time is your most precious asset and most valuable gift. And wearing a watch shapes the way that you experience and perceive time.
Watches are a reminder that the human experience is inseparable from time. The ability to carry time on your wrist makes time a friend. You can use it to your advantage to set up meetings, create deadlines, and achieve your goals. Knowing the time of day and how much time you have left in a day allows you to influence every aspect of your life. Wearing a watch doesn’t just give you the ability to tell time, but it also allows you to control it and manage more time for yourself. Having access to the specific seconds, minutes, and hours of the day allows you to create the life you want.
Wearing a timepiece can be personal. It can be an integral part of who you are. But it can also be a window into your personality. The kind of timepieces you wear conveys information about who you are to others members of your community. For example, a sports watch can mean you’re physically active. A watch with a picture of the globe can signify that you love traveling. And a Rolex can serve as a fashion statement or even a symbol of your wealth.
Whether you’re measuring time by the experiences you have, the memories you make, your brain’s internal clock, or via the timepiece that you wear, it all offers a unique insight into how you live your life. In particular, it gives clues as to how you make use of your most valuable asset … time. So with or without a watch, use it wisely.