If your gym sessions seem to last for hours, you’re a good companion. Those who push themselves during workouts report the shape of their time warp, making them feel as if they are exercising for longer than they are, researchers say.
Scientists said adults who took part in the 4km cycling trial of exercise bikes recognized that time was decreasing.
The findings suggest that people looking to improve their fitness may find their training shorter and more enjoyable if they are distracted from the intensity of their activities by listening to and training in a more competitive environment.
“People feel that time is moving slowly while exercising,” said Andrew Edwards, a professor of psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent and the first author of the study. “This distortion can affect pacing and physical activity enjoyment.”
In this study, 33 physically active adults participated in three cycling trials on exercise bikes. Before, after and after the trial, they were asked to estimate a period of 30 seconds. The first trial was solo. Second, the bike screen was accompanied by a virtual avatar. And then, in the third trial, they were told to defeat their virtual opponent.
write Brain and behaviorresearchers explained how people seem to slow down when they exercise, but not before or after. The effects were the same throughout the trial, suggesting that the hypothetical partner had no significant impact.
Edwards said time warps are not inherent in cycling, but they do relate to the intensity of the exercise and how uncomfortable it is. It is not clear what promotes changes in the perception of time, but he believes that at high intensity, exercise will make the body more aware of the pain it endures and make it feel longer.
“Exercise, especially hard exercise, can focus on the body and raise awareness at each moment,” he said. “It makes you feel like you’re drugging.”
The researchers compared its effects with Einstein’s special theory of relativity. This stated that time is not absolute and depends on the observer’s framework of reference. In 1929, Einstein said: “If you only sit with a lovely girl for two hours, I think it’s a minute, but if you sit on a hot stove for a minute, I think it’s two hours. That’s relative.”
“This study is the first experimental demonstration that time and relativity can be demonstrated through the medium of motion, indicating that time is distorted,” the author writes.
Exercise intensity may not be the only factor. in Follow-up survey For professional soccer players, Edwards found that training sessions that include soccer seem to pass faster than aerobic training and video analysis sessions.
“If time feels slower, training may feel longer and more enjoyable. Making exercise more engaging can help people stick to it,” Edwards said. “Exercises that cannot be repeated or done may increase the effectiveness of this time, but distractions and enjoyment may reduce that.”
