Volodina Maria, Rusinova Anna, Terenteva Kristina, Kosonogov Vladimir
Center for Bioelectric Interfaces, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, Higher School of Economics University, Moscow, Russia.
Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnologies, Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "N.I. Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University", Ministry of Health, Moscow, Russia.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 3;16:1610347. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1610347. eCollection 2025.
This study investigated the relationships between interoceptive signals, emotions, and time perception, with a particular focus on the mediating role of heart rate (HR). Emotional video stimuli were used to elicit specific emotional responses, while participants' attentional focus was manipulated (internal vs. external) to examine its influence on temporal judgments.
We tested several hypotheses using a combination of linear mixed models and Bayesian mediation analysis. Emotional content, heart rate, attentional focus, and interoceptive accuracy were analyzed for their effects on time perception. Participants viewed 36 video clips designed to elicit positive, negative, or neutral emotions, and their duration estimation errors, normalized heart rates, and subjective ratings were recorded.
Emotional content significantly influenced time perception. Negative and neutral videos were underestimated in duration, while positive videos showed smaller estimation errors. Heart rate partially mediated the effect of emotions on time perception, with slower heart rates linked to greater underestimation of durations. However, this mediating effect was smaller compared to other potential mechanisms not explored in this study. Contrary to prior research, no correlation was found between interoceptive accuracy and time perception precision, likely due to methodological differences in task design and measures of interoception. An internal focus of attention was associated with greater underestimation of time and lower normalized heart rate. However, no significant interaction was observed between attentional focus, heart rate, and emotional valence.
These findings highlight the multifaceted nature of time perception, emphasizing the role of both physiological processes and subconscious interoceptive signals. The partial mediation of heart rate underscores its importance in shaping temporal judgments, while the lack of interaction with attentional focus suggests that these effects may be driven by unconscious mechanisms. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of how emotions and bodily signals interact to shape time perception and underscore the need for further research into individual differences and unconscious influences on temporal judgments.
本研究调查了内感受信号、情绪和时间知觉之间的关系，特别关注心率（HR）的中介作用。使用情绪视频刺激来引发特定的情绪反应，同时操纵参与者的注意力焦点（内部与外部），以检验其对时间判断的影响。
我们结合线性混合模型和贝叶斯中介分析检验了几个假设。分析了情绪内容、心率、注意力焦点和内感受准确性对时间知觉的影响。参与者观看了36个旨在引发积极、消极或中性情绪的视频片段，并记录了他们的时长估计误差、标准化心率和主观评分。
情绪内容显著影响时间知觉。消极和中性视频的时长被低估，而积极视频的估计误差较小。心率部分中介了情绪对时间知觉的影响，心率较慢与对时长的更大低估相关。然而，与本研究未探讨的其他潜在机制相比，这种中介作用较小。与先前的研究相反，未发现内感受准确性与时间知觉精度之间存在相关性，这可能是由于任务设计和内感受测量方法的差异。内部注意力焦点与对时间的更大低估和更低的标准化心率相关。然而，在注意力焦点、心率和情绪效价之间未观察到显著的交互作用。
这些发现突出了时间知觉的多面性，强调了生理过程和潜意识内感受信号的作用。心率的部分中介作用强调了其在塑造时间判断中的重要性，而与注意力焦点缺乏交互作用表明这些影响可能由无意识机制驱动。研究结果有助于更深入地理解情绪和身体信号如何相互作用以塑造时间知觉，并强调需要进一步研究个体差异和无意识对时间判断的影响。
