Y'all ever hear of people describing time slowing down in the face of imminent death? Do you think this slowing down of time is a mechanism of the brain to help avoid death, or is it just an illusion? What I mean is, do mental processes in the brain speed up so that 1/2 a second, for example, may seem like 2 or 3 seconds?
2006-11-06 22:41:14 · 2 answers · asked by clamcrunchies2 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
The way you perceive time is not a defense mechanism against death.
A person will perceive time as "longer" or "shorter" depending on the type of activity they do. For example, a very good movie, a very intense date with your lover, or other activities you enjoy will seem very short, and you'll wonder when those two hours passed.
When you are engaging an activity that has negative impact on you, such as going to the dentist, waiting for your exam results and so on, you will feel that time dilates, and is actually longer than the clock time.
2006-11-06 23:00:28 · answer #1 · answered by LoreCore 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that before death our brain attempts a split second SOS mechanism where as you mind will say "oh I might see if anyone will help," before giving up. But this may be taking place in such a short amount of time but your brain is tricked into the delusion that it takes longer because of the fact it has absolutely nothing else to say except maybe "oh, I'm dying."
2006-11-07 06:55:57 · answer #2 · answered by Angel 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋