Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. It is estimated to affect around 5% of children and 2.5% of adults worldwide. One of the most common complaints among people with ADHD is that time seems to pass abnormally quickly. The sense that time is moving faster is so prevalent that it has been proposed as a diagnostic criterion for ADHD. But why does time appear to speed up for people with ADHD? Below we will explore the evidence behind this phenomenon and the theories that may explain it.
The Subjective Experience of Faster Time in ADHD
Numerous studies have confirmed that people with ADHD consistently report feeling that time passes more quickly compared to people without ADHD. For example, a 2020 study asked adults with and without ADHD to reproduce time intervals ranging from 30 seconds to 4 minutes. The ADHD group underestimated the time elapsed compared to controls, suggesting they experienced time as moving faster.
Other studies have shown that when asked to prospectively estimate a 1 or 3 minute time period, adults with ADHD significantly underestimate the actual time compared to controls. Children with ADHD also underestimate time intervals and overestimate the speed of moving stimuli in temporal perception tasks.
This altered subjective sense of time is not merely due to inattentiveness or distraction in ADHD. Even when fully focused on temporal tasks, those with ADHD still perceive time as passing more quickly. The sense of faster passing time appears to be a genuine perceptual phenomenon in ADHD.
Theories Behind Faster Perceived Time in ADHD
So what explains this speeding up of subjective time in ADHD? Below are some of the major theories that have been proposed:
Dopamine Dysfunction
One prominent theory relates the faster sense of time to dopamine abnormalities in ADHD. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in motivation, reward, attention, working memory and timing perception. ADHD is linked to dopamine dysfunction in frontal-striatal circuits of the brain.
Since dopamine signaling plays a role in interval timing and time perception, disruptions to these pathways may directly affect temporal processing. Supporting this theory, rodent models of dopamine depletion also show changes in timing ability and clock speed.
Distractibility and Inattention
Another explanation is that increased distractibility and shifting attention in ADHD leads to poorer encoding of temporal information. If less attention is paid to the passage of time, intervals may be less accurately perceived.
Distracting external stimuli and mind-wandering may also disrupt timing processes. More focus on external events rather than passage of time itself could accelerate the perceived speed of time.
Faster Internal Clock
The dominant model proposes that ADHD involves a faster running internal clock or pacemaker. According to scalar timing theory, timing is regulated by a biological internal clock in the brain that emits pulses that are accumulated and compared against learned durations.
A faster internal clock would lead to more pulses accumulating over a given time period. When these are matched against stored durations, time would be judged to have passed more quickly.
Functional imaging studies showing speeded time processing in ADHD support this account. There may also be less accurate vigilance or memory for durations with a faster pacemaker.
Novelty Seeking
People with ADHD often have a strong preference for novel, varied and stimulating experiences. Seeking novelty introduces more new information per unit time. A day full of new experiences may seem to pass quickly compared to routine and repetition. This may contribute to the sense of faster passing time in ADHD.
Future Time Perspective
ADHD is associated with a foreshortened view of the future and less future-oriented thinking. Focusing less on future goals and plans may accelerate the perception of time moving into the present. With less consideration of future time, time intervals may seem to pass more quickly.
Is Faster Time Perception Beneficial in ADHD?
While the sense of time speeding up is considered problematic in ADHD, some researchers argue it may have benefits:
- Helps counteract problems with excessive delay and procrastination in ADHD by emphasizes present urgency
- Provides more novel and stimulating subjective experience
- Allows more time focus on present activities rather than future goals
- May reflect compensation for poorer attention and time estimation abilities
For these reasons, the faster internal clock in ADHD could be seen as adaptive in certain contexts, rather than solely as a deficit. More research is needed to understand if and how this temporal distortion may be beneficial.
Managing Faster Time Perception in ADHD
Although the speeding up of time in ADHD may have some advantages, it can also cause significant problems. Underestimating time intervals and the passage of time can negatively impact planning, meeting deadlines, patience and impulse control. Here are some tips that may help:
- Use visual timers, alarms and technology reminders to keep track of time
- Check clocks frequently to anchor perception of time passing
- Schedule activities and tasks to fill time and break up stretches of impatience
- Practice mindfulness and awareness of the present moment
- Keep novelty in moderation to balance stimulation
- Stay engaged and limit distractions to focus better on time
- Consider medication effects on timing abilities
- Cognitive behavioral therapy targeting time perceptions
Discussing this common experience with others who have ADHD can also help provide perspective and validation. With the right adaptive strategies, the accelerated sense of time can be managed.
Conclusions
In summary, people with ADHD consistently report feeling that time passes excessively quickly compared to the general population. This appears to reflect a genuine difference in temporal perception and experience. Leading theories attribute it to dopamine abnormalities, distractibility, a faster internal clock, novelty seeking and differences in future orientation. While this accelerated time sense may have some advantages, it can also impair planning, patience and impulse control. Using external tools to track time, along with behavioral and cognitive strategies, may help compensate for and manage the effects of time speeding up in ADHD.
References
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