Time Perspective and Emotion Regulation as Predictors of Age-Related Subjective Passage of Time

Abstract

Hardly any empirical work exists concerning the relationship between the intra-individually stable time perspective relating to the past, present, and future and the subjective speed of time passing in everyday life. Moreover, studies consistently show that the subjective passage of time over the period of the last ten years speeds up as we get older. Modulating variables influencing this phenomenon are still unknown. To investigate these two unresolved issues, we conducted an online survey with n = 423 participants ranging in age between 17 and 81 assessing trait time perspective of the past, present, and future, and relating these subscales with a battery of measures pertaining to the subjective passage of time. Moreover, the subjective passage of time as an age-dependent variable was probed in relationship to emotion awareness, appraisal and regulation. Results show how present hedonism is linked with having fewer routines in life and a faster passage of the last week; the past negative perspective is related to time pressure, time expansion and more routine; a pronounced future perspective is related to a general faster passage of time. Importantly, increased emotion regulation and a balanced time perspective are related to a slower passage of the last ten years. These novel findings are discussed within models of time perception and the time perspective.

A Time for Being Thankful: Balanced Time Perspective and Gratitude

“…In fact, Watkins (2014) maintains that grateful people, who are more focused on pleasant events, tend to be more attentive to what they currently have. This is related to research showing that a more pronounced present perspective at the expense of the future perspective is linked to lower ability to delay gratification (Wittmann, Rudolph, Linares Gutierrez, & Winkler, 2015). Furthermore, individuals with a hedonistic orientation toward the present perceive their life as more purposeful (Sobol-Kwapiñska & Jankowski, 2016).…”

Mindfulness Promotes a More Balanced Time Perspective: Correlational and Intervention-Based Evidence

“…Future was correlated with BActing with Awareness^and Binsight^(r = .36 and .42), which is interesting given the lack of association of Future and global mindfulness in Drake et al (2008). Similarly, Wittmann et al (2015a) reported a moderate positive association between FMI Bpresence^(the only mindfulness score included) and Present Hedonistic (but cf. Wittmann et al 2014), a scale that was either unrelated to mindfulness or even negatively associated with mindfulness in other studies (e.g., Drake et al 2008;Seema and Sircova 2013).…”

Putting Time in a Wider Perspective: The Past, the Present and the Future of Time Perspective Theory

“…While performing a demanding cognitive task, they experience higher task engagement, lower worry, and less distress, which in turn, results in higher levels of performance . They also feel time in a different way, experiencing slower passage of time, lower time pressure, lower boredom, and less routine (Wittmann et al, 2015). They remain more satisfied with their romantic relationships (Stolarski, Wojtkowska, & Kwiecińska, 2016), make more healthy leisure choices (Garcia & Ruiz, 2015) and are more ethical in their business dealings (Unger, Yan, & Busch, in press).…”