The article presents a resolution of an empirical conflict about the effect of depressed affect on time perception. We propose that depressed affect produces a subjective slowing of time but does not alter the perception of objective chronometric time passage. A between-subjects experiment is reported in which temporary depressed, neutral, and elated states were induced in adult subjects who then performed a sorting task for either 4 rain or 13 min. Results of a measure of subjective speed of time passage revealed that time passed more slowly for the depressed subjects than for subjects in the other two affect conditions. Chronometric time judgments, however, were not influenced by perceiver affective state. The real-time difference of 4 min vereus 13 min did significantly affect chronometric time judgments, but it had no effect on judgments of subjective speed of time passage. These findings are discussed in terms of their relevance both to previous time perception research and to the general understanding of depressed affect.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.