Perception of time varies from age to age, culture to culture, and even between different types of animals. To illustrate this, painted an old man, a young boy, and a bird each residing in his/its own clock. Reports suggest older individuals perceive time as passing more quickly compared to younger ones. Likewise, scientists have conclude it is likely smaller animals, moving at high speeds, can detect more frames per second than larger, slower creatures. Thus, these small, fast animals may perceive the world around them in slow motion.

One might think that regardless of perception, time flows objectively at a constant rate. However, studies show that the faster an animal moves, the more rapidly it travels into the future.

Not only does our physical speed seem capable of influencing the flow of time, but a study by Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer suggests that our mental perception of time can influence physical reality. In the study, subjects with controlled minor wounds were placed in three separate rooms, each with a clock ticking at varying speeds. Remarkably, those in the room with the fastest clock healed the quickest while those in the room with the slowest clock were the slowest to heal. So, is the way we perceive time just a construct of our minds, or is it possible that by changing the way we perceive time, we can alter our physical reality?