In dangerous situations, the brain works extra hard to process what's happening, perhaps so you can deal with a similar situation later. This can cause a "slow

In dangerous situations, the brain works extra hard to process what's happening, perhaps so you can deal with a similar situation later. This can cause a "slow motion" effect, where your brain, by laying down memories more "densely", slows the subjective passage of time. I think a less extreme form of this may account for the return trip phenomenon. I notice (very subjectively) that trips seem t take longer if: * I'm stressed about getting there on time. * I'm going somewhere unfamiliar (often the outbound part of a trip) * Either of the other 2, plus NOT using a nav system to do the thinking for me, so I have to look for signs, landmarks, etc. In other words, the more actively your brain is involved in the drive, the longer it seems to take. These days, I can just put on a podcast, put the destination in my phone, and feel like the trip barely took any time.