Time just passes by, regardless of how we feel about it... right? Not according to Philip Zimbardo. He's been studying how people think of time for decades and has some amazing findings. Here's an animated look at how our time-orientation shapes our families, careers, and happiness.

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  • Engelique Tocao

    As an elementary teacher, I could not agree more of how attached children are to gadgets and technology. Their orientation these days is too far from what we had been oriented with during our time. But the key there is just to use technology at our advantage. since they want technology, let's use technology in class (and that takes a lot of technologicals skills). Or else, the pupils will all be just PASSIVE(asmentioned in the video) and would definitely turn out DISASTROUS! On the other hand, Filipinos have close family ties, so we do not have much problem about being with our family especially during meal time. We love to spend time with our family. I guess that's one of the best practice we have. Thank you for making this one.

  • Garrett Denmon

    This video just confirms what I have already found to be true. I'm in college now and I see everyone around me scurrying about trying to "make it". I notice that peoples perception of time even changes from person to person. You ever wonder how there is people out there that have 80 hr work weeks and still find time to hit the gym and have friends. I honestly believe that they perceive time much slower in a way. So an hour to them would be like three hours to another person. I do believe however anyone can become like that it just takes practice. The video definitely reinforced my belief on this subject.

  • terri townsend

    I think you should watch this video.

  • marie

    It has me think about how life will be 20 to 50 years from now. Family values has decreased while technology is increasing.

  • Irene

    Is all about how we perceive time

  • marc

    fantastic! answers many questions I've had for years

  • Eroca

    Loved the lecture with the drawings, and the lecture itself gave me some new info I had never known about before. Thanks so much.

  • Deepak

    It is a fantastic video Learned a lot

  • Christy

    There is another concept: no time. The definition of time is a man-made construct. Man marked it as communities grew to depend on each other. The sun/moon movement was logical to track, to make collective plans. Try this: imagine there is no time. Just now, present, in your body. Everything slows down. What research is available on this line of thinking?

  • Mike m

    Shortly before my grandfather died, he sat me on his lap and said, Time will go faster as you get older, he was right. I think it's because things are less exciting as we age. As a child the most pedestrian things are wondrous and a few minutes looking at a grasshoppers can seem like forever and you might remember that moment for your whole life. Fewer and fewer discoveries occur as we age and life becomes pedestrian. ThE key is to stay enthusiastic about even the most seemingly, trite things.

  • Dad

    You will like this, is a fact!

  • Dad

    It's all about time!

  • Tom Suchanandan

    absolutely brilliant- the study should be replicated through the world-as a former counsellor of children i have the real time changes in children- the video merely confirmed what I thought 20 years ago.

  • Peri

    Lot of shocking facts... Really should take *time* to know abt time perspectives across the ages, geographies etc which may help us to put the life in harmony while taking advantage of the technologies... Good video & worth watching it!!! Cheers for the great job of referencing a pointer to this!!

  • krushna chaitanya

    It is very frightening to know the present situation with Teenagers in The U.S. THE CULTURE IS SPREADING GLOBALLY. Please take up the issue with U.N. AND SEND THIS VIDEO TO ALL SCHOOLS, translated in their mother-tounge.

  • Cindy

    Wow! Now I finally understand why I love 3rd world countries so much. Services are inadequate, but life itself is beautiful when people take the time to enjoy it. This explains so much about why the educational system doesn't work anymore either ... I'm not sure it ever really did, but this gives us a very compelling reason to change it! THANK YOU. (loved the animation/artist too!)

  • Betsy

    Anytime we discover information that helps us understand that someone else does not fundamentally think the way we do, it helps us to create a new lens. This was helpful. The video left me wondering: if schools' approach to teaching kids - especially boys - will not work ("disaster!"), how do we proceed? I am hanging here looking for suggestions. As Mo says, technology is here to stay.

  • Marcia

    Wow! This is fascinating, but also scary. If it's too late to unplug, how do we encourage more time to be unplugged?

  • antonio

    Interesting!

  • Nidhi

    I think I am alone in trying to live in balance! I especially love the way Zimbardo makes the 'ordinary' EXTRAordinary. Atticus- I love your take on being THE OTHER WING of the bird- beautiful metaphor. I wish I had thought of it! I, too am going to various schools and trying to get the kids to BE, rather than DO- to LIVE rather than just survive without a thought. To introduce the 'glue' to hold the head and the heart, and the family and the friends together. Success is largely a matter of how we define it and how the world, then views our definition. Phil ALWAYS inspires- Heroism project, or Time lines!

  • Ch. Priyakumar Singh

    Please send information from time to time. Thank you.

  • Atticus

    I very much liked the way it was organized and explained. It provides a good visual aide for what I have been teaching and seeking to tell friends. For me, of course, is what do I (we) want to change? Effectively, what is a shared goal or purpose (of life)? My answer would be: SERVICE, to be the other wing of the bird to let it fly with wisdom/ a balance= head and heart. The United States is "coming unglued", not only between generations, political parties, and faiths, but upon the world stage. Our Supreme Court is not much help with this at the moment. My answer would be Interfaith Dialogue and transparency of motive. We need a leader to guide a discussion; perhaps that is what this election will provide. It is important and a dividing point; unfortunately it appears to be a racial divide and a dualistic approach to belief battle. In accounting parlance: balance sheet vs income statement stuff, not both in a positive balance for survival.

  • ankit

    very nice...

  • Mukesh

    Nice one , do watch

  • Mo

    So obvious in fact. Will it make a difference if we are aware of the effect of technology on our use of TIME? I think not. The change has happened already. Sadly.

  • sri

    Thanks sir, for excellent lesson on what wrong with people life , how to avoid, acutally i feel it is life philosphy .

  • shikor

    WOW, very interesting, inspiring and fun. I love it.

  • Robin

    Yes! I'm sharing this with all my friends on facebook! A must see!

  • Genevieve Young

    What an interesting video - thanks! Loved the animation too - makes it so easy to understand.

  • Brian

    Wow! This is a MUST WATCH video. Love the animation and the story takes us to another level of understanding. Thank you.

  • Dev

    An amazing video! Thank you Zimbardo for your enlightening research.

  • Page 1

  •  Learn more about the deep research of Dr. Zimbardo, who is famous showing how 'good' people can change easily.
  •  Practice awareness of your own time perspective - think through what drives major actions in your life and consider possible changes.
  •  Next time you're in a conversation, focus more on asking questions than speaking - understand the perspective of the other person deeply.

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