Eye-Contact, Facial Expression, and the Experience of Time

Summary

The relationship between interpersonal processes and the experience of time was examined in the context of qualitatively different social interactions. Time spent in unpleasant as opposed to pleasant encounters is often experienced as passing slowly or “dragging.” Positive or negative facial expressions were combined with shorter (12 seconds) or longer (36 seconds) periods of eye-contact between female subjects and same or opposite-sex confederates. Subjects also served as their own controls by estimating 12-and 36-second nonsocial intervals. Reproduction of time periods during which eye-contact was maintained indicated that time was experienced as passing more slowly (greater overestimation relative to clock time) when combined with a negative-unpleasant (scowling-angry) rather than a positive-pleasant (smiling-friendly) facial expression. This effect was most pronounced for female-female encounters.