Harvard Study: Perceived Time and Physical Healing – Mind-Body Connection in Health

2024-01-14 12:21:44

Harvard psychologists show that how we perceive time affects the speed of physical wound healing. Using experiments where participants experienced time at different rates, the study found that wounds healed more quickly when more time was perceived to have passed, challenging traditional ideas regarding psychological influences on life. physical health. Credit: Issues.fr.com

A Harvard study shows that perceived time can speed up or slow down physical healing, suggesting a strong connection between body and mind in health.

Perceived time has a significant impact on the actual time it takes to heal physical injuries, according to a new study by Harvard psychologists Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer.

Their study, published last month in Nature Scientific reports, challenges conventional beliefs regarding psychological influences on physical health. The results suggest a broader range of psychological influences than currently appreciated.

Study methodology and surprising results

To complete their study, the authors used a standardized procedure to lightly injure volunteer subjects. Perceived time was then manipulated in the laboratory, with each study participant completing three experimental conditions: slow time (0.5x real time), normal time (1x real time), and fast time (2x real time).

Injuries were found to heal faster when participants thought more time had passed. Likewise, the healing process was found to be slower when less time was perceived to have passed. The actual elapsed time was the same in all three conditions.

Implications and future research

Further research is underway to better understand the underlying mechanisms and broader implications of these findings. At the same time, the study makes a compelling case for a more complete integration of the idea of ​​mind-body “unity” in subsequent investigations of mind-body health effects. In particular, researchers are urged to consider a broader range of psychological influences on physical health.

Psychological influences on physical health are generally understood in terms of influences on emotions (e.g., stress, inflammation, and immune function) and behavior (e.g., beliefs that promote healthy actions) . This research suggests that abstract beliefs regarding how our bodies work also directly shape physical health.

1705235727
#perceived #time #affects #healing #rate