Why is slowness so annoying

But then everything changed. Due to the accelerating pace of life, our internal timer went off. As a result, we have expectations that cannot be met quickly enough - or at all. And when things are going slower than we expect, the internal timer even plays tricks on us, stretching the wait and causing anger over the procrastination.

What affects the perception of time

1. Expectations

Psychologists and economists conducted an experiment asking participants to choose whether they would prefer to receive a little now or a lot later. For example, $ 10 today or $ 100 in a year, two bites of food now, or six in ten seconds. Most often, participants chose the "now" option, even if it was less profitable.

And in another study, people who were shown the McDonald’s logo, “the main symbol of the culture of impatience, increased their reading speed, and they were more willing to choose the small but immediate reward Too Impatient to Smell the Roses: Exposure to Fast Food Impedes Happiness. …

Our dislike for slowness is especially pronounced when it comes to technology. Now we need the page to load in a quarter of a second, whereas in 2009 we were ready to wait two seconds, and in 2006 all four.

Alexandra Rosati evolutionary anthropologist, primate specialist

People expect a certain speed of receiving a reward, and when expectations are not met, they start to get annoyed.

The result is a vicious circle. The accelerating pace of life rearranges our internal timer, which goes off even more often in response, making us angry and act impulsively.

2. Emotions

Our perception of time is very subjective: sometimes one event flies by in the blink of an eye, and sometimes it drags on endlessly. And most of all, strong emotions affect our perception.

“Time stretches out when we're scared or worried. For example, people who had an accident say that for them the events took place as if in slow motion,”says psychologist and author of the book Time Warped Claudia Hammond.

But this is not because the brain works faster in such situations. The perception of time is distorted because we experience very vivid sensations. Every moment we are in danger seems new and fulfilling.

The psychological survival mechanism enhances our perception and packs up more memories in a short amount of time than usual. Therefore, it seems to the brain that more time has passed.

3. Signals about the state of the body

In addition, our brain (namely the islet lobe associated with motor skills and perception) measures elapsed time by combining various signals from the body, such as heartbeat, the feeling of wind on the skin, or an increase in body temperature when we are angry. In this case, the brain estimates the elapsed time based on the amount of signals received from the body. If the signals arrive faster, the brain will count more of them and it will seem to us that more time has passed.

“Our brain does not have a special clock that measures time, but it constantly collects information about everything that happens in the body. This information is updated every second and is used when we are trying to determine how much time has passed,”says Mark Wittmann.

When we are afraid, anxious, or upset, the body sends more signals to the brain. So ten seconds seems like fifteen, and one hour seems like three.

How to deal with it

Strength of will

To stop getting angry about the slowness, you have to find a way to restart our internal timer. You can try to resist your feelings with the help of willpower, but this is not always the case.

In addition, according to psychologist David Desteno, when we resort to willpower to keep from one thing, we become more vulnerable to other temptations. For example, if you hold back and try not to get angry while queuing for coffee, you might be tempted to buy a cake as soon as you reach the checkout counter.

Meditation

Studies have shown that meditation and mindfulness (focusing on the present moment) can help combat impatience, although it is not yet clear why. Perhaps people who meditate on a regular basis do a better job of dealing with the emotional echoes of impatience simply because they have more practice.

Gratitude

However, impatient people rarely practice meditation. Therefore, Desteno proposes to deal with emotions with the help of other emotions Gratitude: A Tool for Reducing Economic Impatience. …

The shortcut to patience is gratitude.

Just remember what you are grateful for (even if it has nothing to do with the delay you are facing). “It will remind you of the positive aspects of human society and how important it is not to be insolent,” Desteno jokes.