Time Perception and Life Spans

Is anyone aware of any research performed on an animal's perception of time and their life span? For example, a human's life span is around 70-75 years, while the average life span for a fly is only between 8 days and 2 months. Do flies experience time at a different rate than humans? If comparing the distance traveled in relation to the body size, a fly travels much faster than you and I can in x number of seconds. Often, you may try to swat a fly and miss, especially when using something in relative size to the size of the fly (using a fly swatter for a fly is like swatting one of us with a redwood tree...its almost hard to miss). When we try to swat the fly, does the swatter travel slower to the fly than it does to us, and the fly is able to get out of the way? Birds, dogs, cats...all of these animals have very fast reflexes when comparing them to humans and they have shorter life expectancies. Does time travel a little faster for animals than it does for humans?

Take another example...the tortoise. They can live for upwards of 150 years. When they move across a street do they really think they are moving that slow, or to them do they appear to be moving fast but everything around them is just moving a lot faster? I know that this could be one of those questions like "If a tree falls in the woods with no one around does it make a sound?", but does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I really like this question, for instance the turtle.. moves slowly, perhaps its life-span could benefit from a slower perception of time..

I'm not sure, but I think it should be studied more deeply.. the fact someone could make time stand-still by thought is intriguing..

Very good question. Well, I guess now imma become a couch potato.

Well, I dont know if this is correct, but dosnt the speed of light determin how much time as passed and how we percieve it, thus flys and humans must be on the same time span.

I can catch flys midair with my hand fyi


But, as I think of it now, you could be correct, because when you have THC in your body, from smoking pot, time seems to never go by, and the time seems to be prolonged.

I am clueless.



[edit on 24-7-2006 by Laxpla]

Laxpla, my thoughts are more on the animals ability to move fast (ie: they have faster reflexes). Does time move faster for them than for us? Could this be part of the reason for their shorter life span compared to ours? Do they see us as moving slower? If we choose not to move at our natural speed, then i don't think that time moves slower. I'm thinking it may have to do with our ability to move fast, not with our choice. The faster an animal CAN move the faster time moves for them? Any thoughts?

[edit on 25-7-2006 by rockieboy]

I read in American Scientific that perception of time is directly affected by body temperature. For example a cold blooded alligator will visually perceived a human as a blur if the alligator blood is not warmed to an optimal functioning temperature. The article also spoke of snails. It stated that an explosion occurred at such a rate that the snails synaptic response is so slow that it will not even be aware that the explosion ever occurred. It will only be able to perceive the debris at rest after the explosive effect has come to a stop. To the snail the explosion never happened, the debris will appear to materialize out of space as it slows to a perceptible speed. However the article did not elaborate on the functioning temperature of snails.

i have also read in Google scholarly articles search that human threw ageing perceive time differently. We all remember when summer break seemed like it lasted for ever. We also all in adult hood have stated that time just goes so fast. Well According to the university Of New York as we age a portion of our brain cools by .2% of a degree. This minute temperature change appears to alter our perception of time. As we all know it makes us feel as if time is going by faster and faster. This cooling does continued with age and is believed to be also linked to deterioration of mental faculties.

Just to elaborate on THC time effect. As we all know its great. But anyway. THC has a subtle effect on the body. The temperature of a individual under the influence of THC is a measurable amount cooler than when not under the effect. This temperature effect is strongest only when THC is first introduced into the body. As your tolerance for THC grows the temperature effect lessens this is why if you have smoked for years the time laps is less and less perceptible. This time laps effect is further exacerbated by the effect of dopamine being released into your blood stream.