Most of us think of time as constant, ticking evenly whether we’re at home or hurtling through space. But psychologist Steve Taylor of Leeds Beckett University says it’s far from that. According to a report by VICE, our perception of time can twist and stretch, sometimes in ways that defy explanation, and our brains play a key role in this strange phenomenon.
Taylor’s curiosity began after a near-death experience in 2014. He and his wife survived a car crash, and in those terrifying moments, Taylor says the world seemed to enter “Matrix-like bullet time.” Everything slowed down, and he noticed details he shouldn’t have had time to see. This experience sparked a decade-long study into what he calls “Time Expansion Experiences,” or TEEs, where time doesn’t just feel slower — at least in the mind — it actually seems to be.
When time stretches without danger
TEEs aren’t limited to life-or-death moments. Taylor’s 2020 study of 96 cases found them occurring during extreme sports, deep meditation, or even while tripping on peyote. The common thread is not just adrenaline, though noradrenaline has been suggested to play a role. “These experiences also happen while sitting still and breathing deeply during meditation, or when scoring a goal in a pickup soccer game,” Taylor explained to VICE.
This challenges the traditional theory that our brains simply remember more details during stressful events, creating an illusion of slow motion. Instead, Taylor proposes that TEEs push the mind into an altered state of consciousness, a mental “time-world” separate from the normal flow of seconds and minutes.
The science behind the illusion
In this altered state, the brain steps outside its usual understanding of time. It enters a fluid, ill-defined realm where moments expand far beyond measurable intervals. “It’s a place where time, or at least our perception of it, stretches in ways no stopwatch could ever record,” Taylor writes in his essay for The Conversation.
Whether it’s surviving a crash, hitting a perfect shot, or reaching deep meditation, these experiences suggest our brains have an almost supernatural ability to bend reality. Time may seem rigid and unchanging, but according to Taylor, it’s far more malleable than we think — and our minds are the ultimate time-benders.
Taylor’s curiosity began after a near-death experience in 2014. He and his wife survived a car crash, and in those terrifying moments, Taylor says the world seemed to enter “Matrix-like bullet time.” Everything slowed down, and he noticed details he shouldn’t have had time to see. This experience sparked a decade-long study into what he calls “Time Expansion Experiences,” or TEEs, where time doesn’t just feel slower — at least in the mind — it actually seems to be.
When time stretches without danger
TEEs aren’t limited to life-or-death moments. Taylor’s 2020 study of 96 cases found them occurring during extreme sports, deep meditation, or even while tripping on peyote. The common thread is not just adrenaline, though noradrenaline has been suggested to play a role. “These experiences also happen while sitting still and breathing deeply during meditation, or when scoring a goal in a pickup soccer game,” Taylor explained to VICE.
This challenges the traditional theory that our brains simply remember more details during stressful events, creating an illusion of slow motion. Instead, Taylor proposes that TEEs push the mind into an altered state of consciousness, a mental “time-world” separate from the normal flow of seconds and minutes.
The science behind the illusion
In this altered state, the brain steps outside its usual understanding of time. It enters a fluid, ill-defined realm where moments expand far beyond measurable intervals. “It’s a place where time, or at least our perception of it, stretches in ways no stopwatch could ever record,” Taylor writes in his essay for The Conversation.
Whether it’s surviving a crash, hitting a perfect shot, or reaching deep meditation, these experiences suggest our brains have an almost supernatural ability to bend reality. Time may seem rigid and unchanging, but according to Taylor, it’s far more malleable than we think — and our minds are the ultimate time-benders.
You may also like
Three held with brown sugar worth Rs 40 lakh in Jharkhand
Dusk's £139 accent chair looks like designer versions for a fraction of the price
In a first, EC to implement 17 initiatives in Bihar polls for voters' convenience
K'taka CM condemns shoe hurling incident at CJI Gavai, says caste-based inequality still persists
Northern Railway to run Vande Bharat festival special train from Delhi to Patna, check timings and dates
