Harvard psychologists show that the way we view time affects the speed of physical wound recovery. Using experiments where participants experienced time at various rates, the study discovered that injuries healed much faster when more time was viewed to have passed, challenging standard views on the mental impacts on physical health. Credit: SciTechDaily.comA Harvard study shows that perceived time can accelerate or slow down physical recovery, recommending a strong mind-body connection in health.Perceived time has a considerable effect on the real time it requires to heal physical wounds, according to brand-new research study by Harvard psychologists Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer.Their research study, published last month in Nature Scientific Reports, challenges traditional beliefs about mental impacts on physical health. The findings suggest a broader variety of mental influences than is currently appreciated.Study Methodology and Surprising FindingsTo finish their research study, the authors utilized a standardized procedure to mildly wound volunteer subjects. Perceived time was then manipulated in the laboratory, with each study individual completing three speculative conditions: Slow Time (0.5 x real-time), Normal Time (1x real-time), and Fast Time (2x real-time). When individuals believed more time had actually passed, injuries were recorded as recovery much faster. Likewise, the healing procedure showed slower when less time was perceived to have passed. Actual time elapsed was the very same under all three conditions.Implications and Future ResearchFurther research is underway to better understand the underlying mechanisms and more comprehensive implications of these findings. The study makes a compelling case for more totally integrating the idea of mind-body “unity” into subsequent questions on mind-body health results. In particular, researchers are prompted to think about a broader variety of psychological impacts on physical health.Psychological influences on physical health are typically comprehended in terms of impacts on emotion (e.g., stress, inflammation, and immune function) and behavior (e.g., beliefs that promote healthy actions). This research suggests abstract beliefs about how our bodies work likewise directly form physical health.Reference: “Physical healing as a function of viewed time” by Peter Aungle, and Ellen Langer, 17 December 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-50009-3.
