# 🧠❤️ Tick-Tock: How Your Heartbeat Swings Time’s Pendulum! ⏰💓
**Summary:**
1. Our perception of time is influenced by the rhythm of our heartbeat. Two new studies reveal that the heart’s activity can make moments feel longer or shorter.
2. Researchers found that during systole (when the heart contracts), time duration is perceived as shorter, while during diastole (when the heart relaxes), time feels longer. Pressure sensors in blood vessel walls may play a role in this phenomenon.
3. The studies also discovered that emotional arousal, triggered by expressive faces, can make time pass faster. Variability in time perception between heartbeats, referred to as “temporal wrinkles,” affects how we experience the passage of time.
## Supplemental Information ℹ️
The studies highlight the intricate relationship between our internal bodily processes and our perception of time. By understanding how the heart’s activity affects our sense of time, we gain insights into the complex interplay between the body and the brain. These findings contribute to the growing field of neuroscience, shedding light on the fundamental aspects of our human experience.
### ELI5 💁
Imagine your heart is like a conductor, directing the flow of time. Researchers have discovered that our heartbeat can make time feel shorter or longer. When the heart squeezes (systole), time seems to speed up, while during relaxation (diastole), time feels slower. It’s like a magical dance between your heart and the clock. Even our emotions can join in the rhythm, with expressive faces making time zip by. These discoveries show us that time is more than just numbers on a clock—it’s a sensation woven into the fabric of our heartbeat.
#### Source 📚: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-heart-can-sway-our-perception-of-time/?amp=true