Time Perception & Entrainment by Dopamine, Serotonin & Hormones

About this video

Huberman discusses time perception and entrainment, arguing how people perceive time frames whether they judge their past as successful, their present as on track, and their future as bright or uncertain, and that tools can dilate or contract experienced time. He distinguishes retrospective, current interval and prospective time measurement. Huberman explains that dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin govern whether time is fine-sliced into small bins or batched into larger ones. He reports experiments in which more dopamine released in the brain leads people to overestimate how much time has passed: when asked to judge when a minute has elapsed without a clock, people with higher dopamine say the minute is up early, for example at the 38-second mark as he illustrates it. Huberman compares fine-slicing to increasing a camera’s frame rate, producing a slow-motion-like experience with more snapshots per interval.

Key takeaways

• Huberman explains dopamine and norepinephrine promote fine-slicing of time into smaller bins.
• Huberman reports higher dopamine causes people to overestimate elapsed time in experiments he reviews.
• Huberman distinguishes retrospective, current and prospective time measurement.
• Huberman compares fine-sliced time perception to increasing a camera frame rate.
• Huberman presents routines and entrainment as tools to adjust one’s sense of time.

Episode details: published November 15, 2021 · 561.8K views · 1:14:17 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The science and protocols described are Andrew Huberman’s, presented for education — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional before changing your own health practices.

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