Scientists figure out why Christmas feels like it comes sooner every year

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Christmas really does seem to come around quicker every year for some, reveals new research.

People who get excited about the holiday season and those who forget to make plans are more likely to feel it comes quicker, say scientists.

Researchers in the UK and Iraq spoke to people about the onset of Christmas or Ramadan.

They found that anticipation might make time seem to fly.

The team suggests their findings could mean that someone’s experience of time is shaped not only by what they’ve done, but what is left to do.

The study, published in the journal PLO S One, was led by Professor Ruth Ogden, of Liverpool John Moores University , and Dr. Saad Sabet Alatrany, of Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University in Iraq.

Ogden said: “'Christmas seems to come quicker each year' is a staple of small talk.

"But the feeling that a holiday comes around faster could also mean that someone’s sense of time is slightly distorted."

To discover how often people sense the phenomenon, and what shapes their perception of time, the research team conducted a survey of more than 1,000 people in the UK and more than 600 people in Iraq.

They asked the participants if they believed Christmas or Ramadan came more quickly each year and measured their memory function and attention to time as well as asking about age, gender, and social life.

The researchers found that 76% of people in the UK felt Christmas came quicker every year, and 70% of Iraqis felt the same about Ramadan.

Ogden said: "For both cases, people were more likely to report this perceived acceleration if they enjoyed the holiday, and also for UK participants if they reported better social lives.

"In both Iraq and the UK, people were more likely to feel holidays came earlier if they thought about the passage of time more often, and if they were prone to prospective memory errors – such as forgetting to do a planned task.

"Perhaps surprisingly, age did not play a role in the perception."

She added: "While Ramadan and Christmas are very different holidays, and perceptions of time could certainly be influenced by marketing and other factors, our experience of time might be shaped both by our attention to its passage and by our plans for the future."

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