Age and its effect on Perception
What causes our perception of the world-at-large to be the
way it in the various stages of our lives?
During our class discussion we discovered that pain, both
physical and emotional, can lead to alternative points of view.
Overall, it is through the various experiences which build
expectations that create a different perception. The experiences that are either
significant or remain in our mind are what contribute the most to a change in
perception.
More often than not, when I see my grandparents, who are
well beyond the ages of measurable years, they speak of how the seasons fly
by. For me, being a 22-year-old college student, a year seems like an eternity.
Perhaps it is the fact that I -- and those who are younger
than say, 25 -- are still experiencing new things. As we take time to notice
the world around us, our perception of time may actually decrease, making it
seem as though less time has passed than it normally has.
Time is objective. The clock ticks whether we are there to
perceive it or not. Yet, older people seem to “let the years get away from
them.” How is it so that the perception of time can differ so greatly?
Well, during our classroom discussion, we came to
the aggregate conclusion that older individuals have already seen/experienced
most of what they see in their day to day life. Routine causes the brain
to not notice the world around us as closely and therefore makes time to go by slower.
Time, my dear Watson, is therefore relative. Time may go by at
the same speed objectively, but subjectively, it may slow down due to where we
put our attention. To learn more about attention and how it can influence our
perception, read more of the posts by my fellow classmates, particularly those
of Brady Stroud and Kirby Taylor.
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