The Psychology of Slowing Down Time - How to live a full life
From Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement by Sam Webster Harris | Growth Mindset Psychology
May 26, 2026 · 21 min
About this episode
This episode explores the psychology of time perception and how to live a fuller life by creating more meaningful moments.
Ever look up and realise a whole month has vanished? This episode is about why that happens — and how to get more life out of the same amount of time. Most people think time speeds up because they’re busy. Not quite. Time speeds up when your brain stops noticing. When your days are repetitive, distracted, and half-lived, your memory writes almost nothing down. That’s why a week of scrolling disappears, while one difficult, vivid, meaningful afternoon can feel strangely rich. In this episode, I break down the psychology of time perception using examples from TikTok, procrastination, ADHD, novelty, and emotional reframing. The big idea: a full life isn’t made from more hours. It’s made from more moments that feel real. We talk about why discomfort often stretches time, why autopilot erases it, and how learning to stay with tension can make you calmer, sharper, and more alive. Add novelty on purpose: new places, new conversations, new experiences. Notice when you’re escaping discomfort instead of living through it. Use memory as a metric: if nothing stands out, something needs to change. If time keeps slipping through your hands, this episode will help you hold it differently…
People in this episode
Host: Sam Webster Harris
Topics covered
- time perception
- self-improvement
- memory
- discomfort
- novelty
- psychology
Keywords
- time
- memory
- discomfort
- novelty
- self-improvement
- psychology
- ADHD
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: TikTok
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