ISSN : 1229-0653
People say time flies during happy moments. We examined whether this truism would reflect reality using a retrospective paradigm. Specifically, we hypothesized that, once people think that they were happy within a certain time window, they would believe that time flew by so fast during the period. We further predicted that perceived flow would play a critical role in this process. In support of these hypotheses, Study 1 showed the predicted positive relation between happiness and retrospective time perception such that participants indicated that happier days passed more quickly during 14 days. In Study 2, participants recalling a happy day reported that time passed more quickly than those recalling an unhappy day. Moreover, perceived flow mediated the effect. Finally, Study 3 showed that manipulated happiness led participants to believe that time passed more quickly in their memory, independent of their actual experiences. Also, the mediating effect of perceived flow was replicated.
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