The last Mail Wisdom of 2023!

Two days ago, Japan was completely decked out for Christmas. Now, it has fully shifted into New Year's mode, and every year at this time, I think about how impressive that swift transition is. I, too, take down my Christmas decorations on the 26th every year and immediately start preparing to welcome the new year, but the one thing I always mutter to myself is, "The year went by too fast..." Don't you ever feel that time felt much longer when you were a child? There is a book called "Why Adult Time Feels Short" (by Makoto Ichikawa), and for this last Mail Wisdom of the year, I would like to share some interesting insights about time based on this book!

Time comes in two types: "physical time" and "psychological time." The former is quantified, like one minute or five minutes, and is the same as the time shown on a clock. The latter is the mental time that we feel in our hearts. For example, doesn't the wait for a train feel long when you are about to be late? Conversely, time spent with someone you love feels like it passes in the blink of an eye. Even if it is the same one minute, the length feels completely different; this time felt by the heart is called psychological time.

To briefly list the factors that make time feel longer are:

● High body metabolism (metabolism is high when you are a child, right!)
● Being in a state of excitement (imagine being alone in an elevator with someone you dislike!)
● Being conscious of time (remember a boring meeting for this!)
● Receiving diverse, disorganized stimuli in a short period (imagine being shown long, disconnected videos instead of a movie!)

There are factors like these, and I think you can understand them intuitively.

As we age and our metabolic rate drops, time feels shorter. Why does high metabolism make time feel longer? It is because when metabolism is high, the body's energy circulation speed is also faster, so it keeps pace with the speed at which time flows.

For example, let's say you are in a car traveling at 100 km/h. You wouldn't feel that a car driving alongside you at the same speed is moving very fast. However, if you were in a car traveling at 20 km/h, a car passing you at 100 km/h would be a blur.
This means that if you yourself become "faster" and act in sync with the speed of passing time, you can slow down the speed at which time passes. To that end, it might be good to increase your body's metabolism through exercise and, as an experiment, try to pack your work and schedule to be busier than usual.

I feel that many people around me who manage to get a lot done are those who have developed the habit of exercising at the gym, even though they should be busier with work than the people around them. I have wondered before, how can they get so much done in the same 24 hours? After reading this book, I was convinced: it's because they lead lives where time feels longer, so their bodies and minds are energetic, allowing them to accomplish many things! Next year, I decided I will boost my metabolism as much as possible and make meaningful use of the time that feels longer! Would you like to join me?

There are only 4 days left until 2023 ends! Thank you all so much for this year!
Next year, I hope to continue sharing "wisdom" with you all to spend healthy, beautiful, and fun times together!

Wishing you a wonderful New Year!!