Sometimes it seems that time passes faster, especially when we feel happy. When we are having fun, it flies by; On the contrary, when we have a bad time, the second hand seems to be very slow. Although the passage of time is the same, the perception we have of it differs. Starting from this point, the psychology of time goes further and tells us how different perceptions of time are going to influence our behavior.
The Good Samaritan experiment gives us an idea of how the perception of time would affect behavior. In this experiment some seminarians were told that they had to go to another building to give a talk. While some were told they had plenty of time to arrive, others were told they were late and that they were already waiting for them.
On the way, a person was lying on the floor, badly dressed and looking bad. Most of the seminarians who came with plenty of time stopped to help but, of those who were in a hurry, most passed by. Curiously, the seminarians were going to give the talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Some of the conclusions that were drawn from this experiment were that the manipulation of time was the cause of the different behaviors. Those who were in a hurry were oriented to the future. They went with their minds focused on arriving late and did not stop to help. On the contrary, those who were ahead of time were more oriented to the present and did stop to help.
Let's dive into the psychology of time to learn more.
" The psychology of time affirms that the perception we have of time influences our behavior."
Different perceptions of time, according to the psychology of time
Based on the findings of the Good Samaritan study, two researchers, Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd, delved into the study of the psychology of time. His work culminated with a categorization of temporal perspectives. According to Zimbardo and Boyd there are six temporal perspectives and people tend to give more importance to one of them, they are more oriented towards some than towards others. These are:
Past positive
People who with an orientation to the "positive past" remember the past with joy. They try to remember the past in the present by repeating the memories. They tend to be warm, sentimental, friendly and with more self-confidence. They are almost never anxious or depressed and do not tend to be aggressive. They like music and old movies. They love family reunions, meetings and group celebrations. They usually keep objects of the past with symbolic value.
Negative past
Another type of time perspective is the "negative past." For those who are more oriented to this perspective, the past is half empty. They hope to be able to get rid of the bad experiences of the past, which they do not recommend to anyone. They do not usually have many friends and, the few they have describe them as unhappy, depressed, anxious and quite shy. Sometimes they get so frustrated that they lose control, and they can break things. They do not usually exercise or anything fun, they control impulses badly and they like bets.
Present hedonist
Another temporal perspective is the "hedonistic present", the subjects more oriented to this perspective are more creative and have many friends. They are energetic and they like adventures. When they go to a party, they are the ones that stand out the most and make everyone laugh. Its motto is "if it's pleasant, do it" and, because of that, they do not usually last long jobs. They are too impulsive. They also affect risk behaviors assiduously.
Present fatalist
People who have an orientation to the "fatalistic present" often lack confidence. This leads them to be depressed and anxious. Usually they are always down, they are not very animated. A phrase that characterizes them a lot is: "what has to be will be". Among their practices are risky behaviors such as drug use. They trust that destiny is what determines their lives no matter what they do.
Future
Other people are more oriented to the "future". They are guided by a realistic principle, balance between the instantaneous benefits and future costs. They are able to reject an instant gratification for a greater reward in the future.
They usually have many acquaintances, but not many friends. They are very concerned about the consequences and, therefore, do not like novelties or excitement. They always plan everything and make many lists. They wear watches, and they seem to spend their lives running behind the second hand. In addition, if something characterizes them is prudence and risk aversion.
Transcendental future
Those who have an orientation towards the "transcendental future" are usually linked to a religion. These people believe in life after death, go to religious services regularly and perform rites for their religion either in privacy or in public. They tend to have good impulse control, so they are not aggressive, and worry about the consequences their actions may have in the future.
What is the temporal perspective that you are guided by? The creators of the temporal perspectives offer the possibility of knowing your perspective by filling out a questionnaire on their website. Keep in mind that these perspectives are not a closed feature and can change over time due to several factors.
