CHRISTMAS really does seem to come around quicker every year - and scientists finally know why. People who get excited about the festive season and those who forget to make plans are more likely to feel it arrives faster, experts say. If you have a busy social life, you are also more likely to find December 25 is here in a flash, the study found.
Researchers in the UK and Iraq spoke to people about the onset of Christmas or Ramadan. They found that excitement or anticipation might make time seem to fly. The team suggest that their findings could mean that someone's experience of time is shaped not only by what they've done, but what is left to do.
The study, published in the journal PLOS One , was led by Professor Ruth Ogden, of Liverpool John Moores University, and Dr Saad Sabet Alatrany, of Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University. Prof Ogden said: "[The statement] 'Christmas seems to come quicker each year' is a staple of small talk. "But the feeling that a holiday comes around faster could also mean that someone's sense of time is slightly distorted.
" To discover how often people sense the phenomenon, and what shapes their perception of time, researchers conducted a survey of more than 1,000 people in the UK and more than 600 people in Iraq. They asked the participants if they believed Christmas or Ramadan came more quickly each year, and measured their memory function and attention to time, as well as asking about age, gender, and social life. The researchers found 76 per cent o.
