Internal Clock: How Heart Rate and Emotions Shape Our Perception of Time
Our perception of time depends on heart rate—this is the conclusion reached by neuroscientists at HSE University. In their experiment, volunteers watched short videos designed to evoke specific emotions and estimated each video's duration, while researchers recorded their heart activity using ECG. The study found that the slower a participant's heart rate, the shorter they perceived the video to be—especially when watching unpleasant content. The study has been published in Frontiers in Psychology.
Time perception plays a vital role in our lives—it helps us plan actions, make decisions, and interact effectively with others. When our perception of time is distorted, it becomes difficult to navigate the world around us. This can occur, for example, in psychiatric and neurological disorders: time may seem to drag for individuals with depression, while for those with anxiety, it may feel as though it’s passing too quickly. However, the exact way emotions influence our perception of time is still not well understood.
Researchers from the HSE Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces and the Institute of Health Psychology at HSE University-St Petersburg explored the relationship between time perception, emotions, and heart rate. The experiment involved 38 participants aged 18 to 37. Each was shown 36 videos of varying lengths and formats in random order—some evoking positive emotions, some neutral, and others negative. Participants were instructed to focus either on the video content or on their own bodily sensations. Participants’ ECGs were recorded throughout the experiment. After watching each video, participants rated its duration and evaluated their feelings about the content on a scale from 1 to 9, where 1 meant 'very unpleasant' and 9 meant 'very pleasant.'
The results revealed a link between time perception and heart rate—the slower the heart rate, the shorter the video appeared to the participant. This effect was especially pronounced with unpleasant content, which tended to slow the heart rate and further distort time perception. According to the researchers, this reaction may be linked to the freezing response—an innate physiological inhibition triggered by threat. Positive videos were also perceived as slightly 'compressed,' but to a lesser extent.
Maria Volodina
'Our study confirms that heart rate partially functions as an internal metronome: the slower the heart beats, the shorter the passage of time feels. However, emotions affect time perception through more than just heart rate—other mechanisms are involved that have yet to be explored,' explains the study's author, Maria Volodina, Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces.
Interestingly, whether participants focused on their bodily sensations or on the video did not affect the relationship between heart rate and time perception. However, further analysis of the same sample—currently not included in the paper—revealed that the relationship differs among certain participants. Before the experiment, all participants completed the Skugarevsky and Sivukh's Own Body Image Questionnaire, reporting how much they agreed with statements such as 'I’m ashamed of my body' or 'It’s embarrassing to look worse than others.' About one-third of the participants scored above 12 points, a level considered indicative of significant dissatisfaction with their appearance. In this group, heart rate significantly decreased when participants focused on their bodily sensations. However, their focus of attention did not affect their perception of time. Further analysis showed that among participants dissatisfied with their appearance, the link between heart rate and time perception was disrupted.
Anna Rusinova
'If a person is generally satisfied with their body, there is a clear relationship: when the heart rate slows down, time feels like it “shrinks.” However, with severe body dissatisfaction, this relationship weakens—heart rate may slow, but the perception of time hardly changes. This is only a preliminary finding based on a small sample, but it suggests that improving body awareness could be important for these individuals,' according to Anna Rusinova, Research Assistant at the Centre for Bioelectric Interfaces.
The researchers suggest that the link between heart rate and time perception could be used to train people to be more aware of their bodies—such as noticing their pulse, breathing, or muscle tension. Body awareness interventions that help individuals better understand their inner state could benefit people with anxiety or depression.
The study was conducted with support from HSE University's Basic Research Programme within the framework of the Centres of Excellence project.
See also:
HSE Researchers Offer Guidance to Prevent Undergraduate Burnout
Researchers at the HSE Institute of Education have identified how much time students should ideally devote to their studies, extracurricular activities, and personal life to maintain strong academic performance without compromising their mental health. An analysis of responses from 2,753 students, combined with their actual academic results, revealed several risk factors—such as excessive homework—as well as positive factors, including sufficient sleep, regular exercise, and moderate participation in projects. Based on these findings, the researchers developed practical recommendations for both students and universities. The paper has been published in the European Journal of Education.
Scientists Discover Why Parents May Favour One Child Over Another
An international team that included Prof. Marina Butovskaya from HSE University studied how willing parents are to care for a child depending on the child’s resemblance to them. The researchers found that similarity to the mother or father affects the level of care provided by parents and grandparents differently. Moreover, this relationship varies across Russia, Brazil, and the United States, reflecting deep cultural differences in family structures in these countries. The study's findings have been published in Social Evolution & History.
When a Virus Steps on a Mine: Ancient Mechanism of Infected Cell Self-Destruction Discovered
When a virus enters a cell, it disrupts the cell’s normal functions. It was previously believed that the cell's protective response to the virus triggered cellular self-destruction. However, a study involving bioinformatics researchers at HSE University has revealed a different mechanism: the cell does not react to the virus itself but to its own transcripts, which become abnormally long. The study has been published in Nature.
Researchers Identify Link between Bilingualism and Cognitive Efficiency
An international team of researchers, including scholars from HSE University, has discovered that knowledge of a foreign language can improve memory performance and increase automaticity when solving complex tasks. The higher a person’s language proficiency, the stronger the effect. The results have been published in the journal Brain and Cognition.
Artificial Intelligence Transforms Employment in Russian Companies
Russian enterprises rank among the world’s top ten leaders in AI adoption. In 2023, nearly one-third of domestic companies reported using artificial intelligence. According to a new study by Larisa Smirnykh, Professor at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, the impact of digitalisation on employment is uneven: while the introduction of AI in small and large enterprises led to a reduction in the number of employees, in medium-sized companies, on the contrary, it contributed to job growth. The article has been published in Voprosy Ekonomiki.
Lost Signal: How Solar Activity Silenced Earth's Radiation
Researchers from HSE University and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences analysed seven years of data from the ERG (Arase) satellite and, for the first time, provided a detailed description of a new type of radio emission from near-Earth space—the hectometric continuum, first discovered in 2017. The researchers found that this radiation appears a few hours after sunset and disappears one to three hours after sunrise. It was most frequently observed during the summer months and less often in spring and autumn. However, by mid-2022, when the Sun entered a phase of increased activity, the radiation had completely vanished—though the scientists believe the signal may reappear in the future. The study has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
‘Engagement in the Scientific Process’: HSE Launches Master’s Programme in Neurobiology
The HSE University Academic Council has elected to launch a new Master's programme in Neurobiology for students majoring in Biology. Students of the programme will have access to unique equipment and research groups, providing them with the knowledge and experience to pursue careers in science, medicine and pharmacy, IT and neurotechnology, and education and HR services.
Banking Crises Drive Biodiversity Loss
Economists from HSE University, MGIMO University, and Bocconi University have found that financial crises have a significant negative impact on biodiversity and the environment. This relationship appears to be bi-directional: as global biodiversity declines, the likelihood of new crises increases. The study examines the status of populations encompassing thousands of species worldwide over the past 50 years. The article has been published in Economics Letters, an international journal.
Scientists Discover That the Brain Responds to Others’ Actions as if They Were Its Own
When we watch someone move their finger, our brain doesn’t remain passive. Research conducted by scientists from HSE University and Lausanne University Hospital shows that observing movement activates the motor cortex as if we were performing the action ourselves—while simultaneously ‘silencing’ unnecessary muscles. The findings were published in Scientific Reports.
Russian Scientists Investigate Age-Related Differences in Brain Damage Volume Following Childhood Stroke
A team of Russian scientists and clinicians, including Sofya Kulikova from HSE University in Perm, compared the extent and characteristics of brain damage in children who experienced a stroke either within the first four weeks of life or before the age of two. The researchers found that the younger the child, the more extensive the brain damage—particularly in the frontal and parietal lobes, which are responsible for movement, language, and thinking. The study, published in Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, provides insights into how age can influence the nature and extent of brain lesions and lays the groundwork for developing personalised rehabilitation programmes for children who experience a stroke early in life.