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How the Brain Measures Time

June 9, 2014

For decades, chronobiologists have been searching for the pacemaker in the human brain - in vain. That is, until psychologist Marc Wittmann had a new idea. He believes the rhythm of the body’s internal clock could be driven by body functions such as heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing and other signals that the brain receives from the rest of the body.

https://p.dw.com/p/1CEbs

The system is prone to interference because body functions are easily influenced - for instance by emotions. That could explain why we often misjudge the passage of time when we are in emotionally charged situations.