Time really seems to slow down for top athletes
If you ever get the feeling that time has slowed down by doing some kind of physical activity, you are not the only person in the world who thinks so. A number of new experiments suggest that our perception of time decreases by several degrees as we prepare to begin some physical activity.
The studies were conducted at the University College Londons Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, testing the hypothesis of time dilation before motor efforts. One of those responsible for the experiments, Dr. Nobuhiro Hagura, explained in a BBC interview that baseball players have that exact feeling just before the ball hits their bats.
Formula 1 drivers also report very similar feelings when they are driving their cars at incredible speeds. “For this reason, we find that during the preparation for physical exertion, the brain's processing capacity gains a significant increase. Thus, it is possible that the amount of information that enters the head is increased, which makes the perception of time bigger and longer ”, explains Hagura.
It is not yet clear to scientists exactly how this phenomenon works. Scholars work with the thesis that two parts of the brain - the one used to record the passage of time and the one that prepares the body for movement - can be related to each other. This would also help to understand the preparation of high performance athletes.
Source: Gizmodo, BBC
