The effects of age, sex, body temperature, heart rate, and time of day on the perception of time in life

Abstract

The present article reports on the relationship between various, physiological and sociological factors on a person’s individual perception of time in life. Specifically, 200 participants (100 males, 100 females) were solicited from diverse, university-centered communities. These volunteers completed a series of questionnaire-based evaluations and also had physiological recordings of heart rate and core temperature taken. For the measure of time-in-life we used an amended version of the Lines test which compared the individual’s perception of their current time-in-life against the actuarial expectation of their lifespan. Results confirmed a strong inverse relationship between and individual’s age and this measure of perceived life duration. The gender of the individual had an important impact on their perceived lifespan. There were also indications of differences contingent upon the time of day at which the test was administered. However, there was little evidence of any linkage between lifespan perception and the physiological indicators recorded. The results are discussed in terms of possible cognitive and sociological determinants of individual’s perception of their present life location.