Experience of Time by People on the Go

Abstract

We explore the psychological interface of time and motion. Locomotion, the proclivity toward movement and change, constitutes a significant determinant of persons’ orientation toward time, both as a valuable resource and as a flow advancing from past to future. High locomotors act quickly, multitask and refrain from procrastination, thus conserving time as a resource. Their preoccupation with movement, moreover, affects their relation to the flow of time. High locomotors are future oriented and eschew preoccupation with the past. They are optimistic, experience little regret, generate few counterfactuals, feel little guilt about past wrongdoings, and leave behind past friends. Evidence accumulates that locomotors’ “fast forward” orientation pervades diverse aspects of their behavior and has significant consequences for individuals and societies.