8 checked facts

Time

Everything on this site about time — each one naming the study behind it.

You will always underestimate the time a task takes.
People consistently predict they will complete tasks faster than they actually do.…
You ignore how long an ordeal actually lasted.
When rating the discomfort of a medical procedure, patients disproportionately weigh the peak pain and the pain at the…
New experiences make time feel like it's slowing.
Initial studies suggested an unexpected stimulus makes its duration appear 30–50% longer, though later research shows …
You consistently underestimate the time tasks will take.
A 1994 study found that students predicted they would finish their thesis projects in 33 days, but actually took an av…
You are more motivated on the first of January.
A 2014 study found that people seek more 'fresh start' opportunities during temporal landmarks like birthdays or new y…
You value immediate satisfaction more than future success.
Delay discounting is the tendency to prefer smaller, immediate rewards over larger, delayed rewards. Hyperbolic discou…
You expect your future self to work perfectly.
A 1994 study found that people consistently underestimate how long tasks take, even when they know their own history o…
You are biologically wired to miss your own deadlines.
People consistently underestimate how long a project will take, even when they have failed to finish on time before.…