In virtual reality, the passage of time accelerates - scientists' research

[zakiyatasnim]

It's easy to lose track of time when playing video games. This effect is especially pronounced in virtual reality. A group of researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz conducted an experiment and demonstrated that time passed faster for those who played in a VR headset rather than behind a monitor.



In an experiment (detailed in a paper published in the journal Timing & Time Perception), research associate Grayson Mullen and psychology professor Nicholas Davydenko found that participants had a much harder time judging the passage of time while in virtual reality.

Participants played the same game, a simplified maze puzzle, and were required to signal the scientists when 5 minutes had passed.

Those using the monitor were able to estimate the time fairly accurately without access to a watch.
However, those playing VR were on average 72.6 seconds later.

“This is the first time we can really understand that it’s not just iran number data about what video game you’re playing or what content you’re watching,” Mullen says. “It’s really about how VR, compared to a regular screen, has a time compression effect.”

Researchers believe that this effect is due to the fact that in virtual reality we are less aware of our physical body.

Co-author Davydenko notes: “In virtual reality, when you look down where your body usually is, you may see nothing or see a resemblance of a body, but it will not look like yours.”

“There are theories that our heartbeats and physiological rhythms help the brain track the passage of time. So if you feel your body worse in VR, you may miss these impulses,” explains psychology professor Nicholas Davydenko.

This is a surprising finding, but it should be treated with caution. There is still a lot we don't know about time compression, and this experiment is not particularly reliable either.

For example, participants were asked to play a game both in virtual reality and on a regular screen. The order was chosen randomly. Only those who played in VR first experienced the time compression effect.

In the article, the researchers note that participants may have been able to better judge time in the second part of the experiment based on their first estimate.

However, if the effect is broader, losing control in VR can also have negative consequences.

“As VR headsets become more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time, and more immersive games are created for them, I think it would be good to avoid making this environment feel like a virtual casino where you end up playing more because you don’t realize how much time you’re wasting,” Mullen notes.