Use awe to expand perceived time

Deliberately induce awe when you feel time-pressured or rushed — awe reliably slows perceived time and reduces the feeling of scarcity.

Why it works

Awe disrupts the brain’s ordinary temporal tracking by loading the perceptual and appraisal systems with novel, complex stimuli that require effortful processing. This engaged processing makes the subjective duration of the experience feel longer — the opposite of the time compression produced by familiar, automatic activity. Awe also reduces the urgency that drives time pressure.

How to do it

1. When you feel acutely rushed or time-anxious, spend 5 minutes deliberately exposing yourself to something vast (a sky, a cathedral, a large piece of music).
2. Allow the experience to slow you down rather than fighting it — the goal is to let the awe disrupt the urgency.
3. After five minutes, return to what you were doing and notice whether the time-anxiety has changed.

Evidence

Rudd, Vohs & Aaker (2012) found experimentally that awe induction (vs happiness induction) expanded perceived time available, increased willingness to volunteer time for others, and increased life satisfaction. (rct)

Time expansion effects were measured immediately after induction; whether brief awe doses in daily life produce the same effect outside lab conditions needs further study.

Sources

• Rudd, Vohs & Aaker (2012), "Awe expands people’s perception of time, alters decision making, and enhances well-being," Psychological Science

Common mistake

Using an awe-inducing image or video as a distraction from time pressure rather than as a deliberate reorientation — the intention matters for whether the expansion effect occurs.