Time is not a constant

[clevermanka]

mckitterick has a very fluid notion of time. I...do not. For me, next week is next week and tomorrow is tomorrow, and yesterday is yesterday. This is true no matter what my altered state of mind. While time itself might seem to move slower or faster depending on current circumstances, I have a very definite sense of the now versus the past versus the future.

These experiments, by Prof. Daryl Bem of Cornell University, seem to indicate that mckitterick, and people like him, might have a more accurate understanding of time.

Accurate or not, though, it doesn't make it less annoying when someone is late for an appointment.

Comments

[mikalay.livejournal.com]

I think it's a very good thing we are not roommates.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha! She puts up with me ;-)

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

This is so cool - I'd heard of this experiment, but hadn't read the methods nor heard he'd done other, parallel experiments.

The effect explains a lot: why confident people are more successful (because they know they'll succeed), why we "get a bad (or good) feeling" about stuff, deja vu, and so much more. Plus it's just logical that we can perceive time's natural state rather than just the linear fashion in which we experience it. Cool beans!

[normalcyispasse.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of time being linear. And being, y'know, ON time.
Solidarity.

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

Yes, but living with a loved one is a lot different than living with a female roommate. I'm fairly certain my college roommates were conspiring to kill me on more than one occasion for various behaviors of mine. The fact that they even talk to me now....amazing.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

living with a loved one is a lot different than living with a female roommate

So if we ever live together, we'll have to do so as lovers. I'm cool with that.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

She puts up with me

Most of the time!

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

*fistbump*

[miischelle.livejournal.com]

Yes. And we'll also need completely separate art studios.
I think you know why.

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

Barely within the realm of significance. Occam's razor leads me to think that the statistical method in general is more likely to be wrong than that this effect exists. More statistical effects in the same range actually supports my hypothesis better that it does theirs. This effect might even be a result of a limited word selection. I am also very skeptical of a computers ability to actually generate something that is random. I would like them to perform this test with a computer doing the guessing with the same random number algorithm, and with a different one and see what results might be gained.
Just as A side note: The humans having a psychic connection to the machine could also explain the same phenomena which also seems more likely than their conclusion.

[bluetourmaline.livejournal.com]

For me, next week is next week and tomorrow is tomorrow, and yesterday is yesterday.

For me, tomorrow is definitely separate from yesterday, but yesterday and last Tuesday and last year and five years ago are pretty fluid between themselves. And occasionally I may plan something so vividly that I may wonder whether I remember it, or remember my imagining of it. However, I am still skeptical about this experiment; I'd like to see the p-values of the 53% (and I am currently too sleepy to go follow up on the original paper).

[femfataleatron.livejournal.com]

A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to. –Gandalf

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Oh, definitely! I think that's a good idea for two artists living together, anyway, regardless of their personal habits. It's good to have one's own space.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

yesterday and last Tuesday and last year and five years ago are pretty fluid between themselves

Interesting! mckitterick would probably feel much the same way.

I don't have a good ability to remember how long ago something was in years, but I can definitely tell you if past event X happened before or after past event Y (on a linear time-line).