#4 Six Minute English

Are we there yet?

This week, the episode that I listened to is "Are we there yet?" and it is talking about time. I think this subject is interesting. This episode discussed why some weeks just fly by but sometimes minutes seem like hours? and why do we perceive time differently in different circumstances?

According to a new study, smaller animals perceive time as if it is passing in slow motion. Small animals such as insects and small birds can observe more detail in a certain period of time – for example, a second – than larger animals. It helps them by giving them time to escape larger predators.
I didn't know before that animals and humans have different perception of time. Animals don't get bored doing nothing all day.

It's a strange trick of memory that in a scary situation your brain starts to record everything in great detail. And the more memory you have of an event, the longer you believe it took. This idea explains why children often feel that time is passing slowly – because their experiences are new, and they are creating lots of new memories.
When humans are in danger, our brain will think about how to escape the danger.

If you can spend your weekend filling it with loads of new different activities, it'll go fast, at the time, because you're having fun. But when you look back, say, on Sunday night, and you've got to go to work next day, it will feel as if your weekend was long, because you filled it with new memories.
Just like how you feel time passes slowly when you are in a boring lesson, you will also feel that time passes too quickly when you are in an interesting lesson.

So, this weekend, what are you thinking about? Definitely. Think about creating loads of new memories.