4 ms·

I think you're onto something, but I don't think it has to do with plasticity, but novelty. Consider the brain as a giant recording device with very good compr

I think you're onto something, but I don't think it has to do with plasticity, but novelty. Consider the brain as a giant recording device with very good compression based recognizing patterns from previous data. So the first time you eat an apple, it stores a lot of data because it's a new experience. The next time, it stores something more like "like the last apple, but a little more tart". I think our perception of time (at the macro scale) is roughly a perception of how much new data our compression-oriented brain is storing. It's the sensation of accumulated novelty.

kridsdale1 1y ago
With this in mind, the length of one’s life is not chronological (by a clock) but the integral of the novel information they experience. So a monotonous 60 year existence is a fraction of the perceived duration of 60 years of a wild and adventurous, constantly reading, learning new languages, making new deep human connections - existence.
- squidhunter 1y ago
  I wonder how something like ayahuasca or dmt would impact this. People have described these substances as having a type of mental “reset” quality. If they do impact time perception, I’m assuming it’s only temporary…
  - R_D_Olivaw 1y ago
    While I can't speak to these substances, regarding the temporariness of it: Irrespective of whether or not the effect, or lasting effects, dwindle and can thus be considered "temporary", there's something too be said about the act of the reset itself. That is, whether or not the effects feel like they're fading, the memory of what it was like when it was new is still a massive data point and can be recalled. In short, you can still remember that feeling of the reset and recall a time when your brain felt new and refreshed.
- munificent 1y ago
  Right. Which means making the most of your life is only partially about longevity, but also about getting out there and doing new things.

kridsdale1 1y ago

With this in mind, the length of one’s life is not chronological (by a clock) but the integral of the novel information they experience. So a monotonous 60 year existence is a fraction of the perceived duration of 60 years of a wild and adventurous, constantly reading, learning new languages, making new deep human connections - existence.

squidhunter 1y ago
I wonder how something like ayahuasca or dmt would impact this. People have described these substances as having a type of mental “reset” quality. If they do impact time perception, I’m assuming it’s only temporary…
- R_D_Olivaw 1y ago
  While I can't speak to these substances, regarding the temporariness of it: Irrespective of whether or not the effect, or lasting effects, dwindle and can thus be considered "temporary", there's something too be said about the act of the reset itself. That is, whether or not the effects feel like they're fading, the memory of what it was like when it was new is still a massive data point and can be recalled. In short, you can still remember that feeling of the reset and recall a time when your brain felt new and refreshed.
munificent 1y ago
Right. Which means making the most of your life is only partially about longevity, but also about getting out there and doing new things.