Examining the impact of physiological stress on time perception: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Stress is a ubiquitous experience that can significantly impact various aspects of human cognition and behavior, including time perception. Time perception, which refers to the ability to estimate and experience time intervals, plays a crucial role in everyday functioning and decision-making. However, whether stress affects how individuals perceive time remains unclear in literature. While some studies report that time perception can be underestimated (i.e., larger time production and shorter estimate) under certain stress conditions, others observe the opposite effect, with an overestimation of perceived time (i.e., shorter time production and larger estimate). To clarify the inconsistencies in the literature, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of acute stress on time perception. The model, based on 437 participants exposed to stress and 434 control participants, demonstrated a significant effect favoring overestimated time under stress conditions (Cohen’s d = -0.40; 95% CI: -0.7037 to -0.1016). No significant effects of task type and socio-demographic factors were observed. • Under exposure to a physical stress, perceived time gets overestimated • A physical stress leads to a shorter time production and a larger time estimation • This overestimated perceived time is not influenced by socio-demographic factors • Neither the stress task nor the time perception task modulates this effect