Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of time

www.ted.com Psychologist Philip Zimbardo says happiness and success are rooted in a trait most of us disregard: the way we orient toward the past, present and future. He suggests we calibrate our outlook on time as a first step to improving our lives.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

[@p2777]

Zimbardo is one of the best modern day psychologists

[@nonchalantd]

This was great, but I wish it was at least a half hour long.

[@peteking01]

this felt extremely rushed, I'm guessing he wasn't given enough time to do the talk, but he still wanted it to contain everything. But there were some really powerful thoughts in there!

[@arbenkqiku8880]

+bluebird there is another video in which he explains in more details and with animations. Very worth watching. Look it up!

[@arbenkqiku8880]

+bluebird there is another video in which he explains in more details and with animations. Very worth watching. Look it up!

[@rugbyperson15]

Wow that was really good! I've never thought about it quite like that. Even just from these 7 minuets I understand myself ,and the way I think and do things, so much better!

[@megalibra82]

Just another breath taking video from TED. youtube+TED= Changing my life and maybe others.

[@mooxim]

I can't wait to start teaching. I'm gonna make sure my pupils get the best of TED.

[@sudiin]

That's a very positive idea indeed. I really wish I watched some of these TED talks a year or decade earlier. Like this one. You can't begin distributing ideas soon enough.

[@timsheehanster]

Agreed that the focus of many people is the future goal outcome. Often easier to justify to others but harder to justify to oneself. I often talk about this with my brother. We both distinguish with opposite ends of the spectrum, he is past orientated and I am future. Interesting video!

[@Ezmarii]

He breaks it down nicely into the different ways we as humans feel time; our varying perceptions of time. I heard we have something in the brain that changes the timing of electrical signals in our brain&nervous system. in different situations, this can speed up or slow down, changing our perception of time at it's core-it speeds up in situations of fight/flight, making the world around us appear slow and slows down in times of euphoria/love, so 5 hours feel like 1 with your loved ones.

[@avtpro]

Phenomenal. Very well done.

[@k0walsk]

'...and I'm happier than I have ever been.' Ma bro. Thank you.

[@Dan-sq6bz]

excellent presentation.

[@jovandavidovic1]

Amazing speech

[@nupurnishant6911]

Found it! I was looking for it. Gonna add The Time Paradox to my list.

[@jaydesh9]

awesome !! i want to hear more !!

[@Terrible_Peril]

ok, i dig it. i've read a lot of TM's books and listened to his talks and whatnot. a lot of it, to me, while it's great to think about, it's new-age pseudo-science. i think it's great that he's developed this way of expressing various psychedelic experiences, and he has a lot of insight into those things, as i've had a good amount myself, but ultimately i feel it's not the path worth pursuing with the substances, though there are parts that touch on what i feel is. thanks for the reply! :D

[@CalumnMcAulay]

What a talk!

[@johnathoncandelario9867]

Phillip. A Legend.

[@wojciechkrygier4818]

Really good!

[@Hemphempmind]

i agree, there are things that TM says that i don't believe however as you mentioned there are alot of insights that he mentioned that are very relevant especially in the timeline we all are living right now.

[@aleeks831]

Watched his videos all the time last yr in ap psych haha. and I wish he wasn't so rushed...his ideas are very profound if you pause the vid and take time to think about snippets of his dialogue :P.

[@WingsofApolloMusic]

very interesting!

[@xanthus1]

He's taken my perspective on the subject , and organized it :P. Maybe I should organize and share my thoughts.

[@aaronkeogh]

He reminds me of someone who hypnotises someone

[@PhillyKid07]

Zimbardo is noo joke! he is a well respected psychologist

[@Test-Channel422]

Beautiful Psychological Science

[@OscarWrightZenTANGO]

fantastic presentation !....oscar wright, rome

[@x1Conan3Spartan0x]

Perception of time in a social manner defines how each individual translates and processes live data in accordance with each other. As he said,if not used deliberately and left to auto pilot, some instances may cause fatal. (Lol ok that's not what he said but that'll be my 2 cents for the night.)

[@fireballfitness170]

5:59...curing vets PTSD with time metaphors... many troubles could be understood by understanding your time perspective and that others...

[@kght222]

in the greater scheme of things no, in the here and now, yes, it either matters to someone you love, or who loves you, or just to you yourself, but it matters, but as i said in the greater scheme of things no, even the most brilliant person ever will be forgotten eventually, and eventually the thoughts that the most brilliant person comes up with will be thought, and keep in mind he wasn't speaking of experience, he was thinking of thought, and what you think more about

[@Hemphempmind]

my grasp of the english language and the comment limit and of course the time it takes to think of a brief explanation to the secret of time is so limited. i can only point you to a person that can explain time better and that is terrence mckenna, specifically his talk on the world and its double. It's a 3hour talk but very worth your 'time'. By secret i don't mean some mechanics more like a feature or observation which i believe is different from one consciousness to another.

[@inersphobia]

Yeah, he did a show on psychology for PBS years ago.

It was a brutal end. I could have listened to him for twenty more minutes.

[@swagginwagon69]

I remember hearing about the marshmallow study back when I was in 5th grade

[@jakylili]

wow very informative on the time differences but i still dont really know how to control it...im more of a present...never think of the future... im screwed...any help?

[@Promatheos]

It isn't always ways to base your decisions on present feelings, but as far as actually living one's life, it's best to be present oriented. If you're always thinking about the future, you won't be able to enjoy it when the future becomes the present. In other words, if you're always looking forward in time to that great thing, it won't be so great when it arrives. Only those who are present oriented can find lasting happiness, because it's always now. There is no other time than now.

[@annabodhi38]

I think he wrote a chapter for one of the text books I had, or maybe even the textbook itself... All he needs is a cape :)

[@ptcrippen]

What up Phil i was just watching your old psychology videos in class

[@62Cristoforo]

Time is something that has both happened in the past, as well as is happening currently. Or, happening currently, as well as in the future.

[@digit432]

woh he looks great for a 76 year old

[@declanmudiefitzgerald2014]

Check out Phillip Zimbardo -The Secret powers of time

[@quelorepario]

@PracticalTheorist An updated test for your adult life would be: You give up school now because it is boring or you sacrifice that boredom the next couple of years to get a diploma? Do you save money to achieve economical freedom in the near future or you rather to indulge every whim now and stay a clerk for life? It is not about your stereotyped "success", it is at the end about being responsible.

[@Waranoa]

The strict devides he makes are supericial in my eyes. I'm future oriented positive, present fatalic hedonist and past positive oriented. According to him, I'm a strange breed, though I know a lot of people like myself.

[@lvutodeath]

too bad it was too short, I wish it was longer like 18 minutes or something

[@LAHegarty]

There's a longer one *Philip Zimbardo - The Secret Powers of Time *

[@quelorepario]

@PracticalTheorist these researches proved that DELAYED GRATIFICATION is a huge indicator of success in adult life. The point here is simply that you can prioritize what is important. Greed is not the same as economy, you should revisit your definitions

[@ArtistSaloniWish]

Sir my brother suffering by schizophrenia ...is he can be ok ... His treatment running from 7 years .. but he is not ok.. when he stop taking pills he again suffer

[@zapkvr]

That's ridiculous. The lecturer didn't always "have it made". If you read the book you will find he was deathly sick as a small child. And whatever you say, it still doesn't change the fact, timer perspective means a LOT to future success (and you can define that any way you like - I define it as achieving true inner happiness)

[@euripideesshreds]

For me this was one of the most important talks. But I wish he'd taken 10 minutes instead of 7 to give the talk : ] sheesh guy, slow down a bit. Give the word "balance" it's due here, I had to listen twice just to get it you were goin so fast. But I'll listen often now that I'm on to you. Great research, good stuff, It explains a lot. If only I knew this stuff when I was younger. That's life though, find out what you need to know just before closing time, gotta come back tomorrow to get it.

[@LachlanKelly]

This is the full length lecture; Prof. Philip Zimbardo: „The Secret Power of Time..."

[@MellumFellum]

Paradoxically, the reverse is much more likely to be the case. Young children have little conception of obesity or dental health, so such predilections would play little, if any, role in the purely hedonistic task of eating marshmallows. If the general life-strategy differences Zimbardo describes hold, however, the kids who waited to get 2 marshmallows will later have a different long-term goal (health), and avoid overeating altogether. Both groups, by then, will be able to overeat without wait.

[@1966human]

Yep its " all in the head" how you think. You create your future with the good or bad decisions you make ( and unfortunately the actions of others). Similar to parallel universe theory.

[@Terrible_Peril]

i would agree that perception of time is changed with psychedelics, as well as many other things, but i'm not sure what you mean by 'the secret of time'. i don't think there is a secret, but perhaps plenty we don't fully understand. would you care to elaborate?

[@HHayes88]

Time Perspective? Some people! Those present oriented people, and past oriented people. If only we could concentrate on the future and draw more satisfaction from knowing that if we wait around for it, eventually the world will be just like having two marshmallows instead of one.

[@Liboo52]

He's 76! Omygod!

[@MegaWaylander]

Enjoy life while you can. None of us are getting out of here alive!

[@maxxamtml]

where do u work?

[@provanost]

My 2nd grade teacher replicated the delayed gratification experiment. Out of an overpopulated inner city class of about 38 students, only three, myself and two girls waited until our work was done and we got twice as many sweets as the other students. They seemed confused and angry then and most still are now. I do have an optimal time perspective profile and the difference between my adult life and that of my former class mates is huge. Most had kids and skipped college and property. Not I.

[@kudzaidhodho]

Future orientated people usually gloat, of their achievements I'm not surprised

[@koalawithagun]

Hahaha, I remember watching videos from this guy in high school psych.

[@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg]

The problem is that the lecturer's got it made. He's happy and satisfied with his life, so he can afford to talk about a balanced life. But if you're trying to achieve success and your chances aren't high - the future is uncertain and you're sure you'll be in shit if the outcome isn't what you planned for... What would you do? (1) Sacrifice some for the people around you and lower your chances to succeed, or (2) go full throttle and risk all your relationships and your health? I'll pick (2).

[@dailydoodles]

it's always now.

[@akiangela7315]

Here

[@organdva]

If you want more search : the time paradox

[@IntegrityNotForSale]

I would disagree, if you were saying that present-hedonism should be the leading trait in the life of an individual. In my experience present-hedonism is most likely to get you in to situations where you would rather not be. I would have to agree with the speaker that Balance is key no matter what. My personality would say that the Future should be observed where necessary, but that, yes, Present Hedonism, and Past Positive are as important as each other.

[@beautifulsmall]

But how do you change from throttle to coast. imagine a stairway ? A portal. List of society changing in a very positive way. It would be interesting to see how pandas and ants rely on memory and prediction.

[@ninjack5255]

ZIMBARDO!!! our psychology class used to watch a dvd set with him as the host like once a week in class, this was for regular AND AP psychology... lol he looks like the devil but he is friggin legit man

[@willrobson8125]

pick your friends wisely.

[@TheNormanmurk]

Ditto to comment below.

[@biggerflexible]

I love the company I work for, LOVE lol. I get paid $35 an hour to play on the internet all day yay me.

[@MegaWaylander]

Just a bit, or lots? i have these new pads u see..

[@Solthiel]

Generalizations are often useless when regarding human behavior. I invite you to make a generalization about human behavior that is not without glaring exceptions.

[@PeterKoperdan]

@Solthiel People eat, people pee, people try to get away from pain (of all sorts), people have preferences.

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

time time time

[@Solthiel]

I have no problem with proposing them. But Zimbardo appears to present his paradigm as fact. He presents no experimental data besides anecdotes.

[@themindminder]

The children that waited for two marshmellows may also be overweight, and have more tooth decay.

[@HigherPlanes]

Life is what happens while you're planning for the future.

[@saxquiz]

I guess he's saying that if you're poor and stupid then you're living in the present. Pretty much true. No need to go to college or save for retirement because that's going to detract from my here and now.

[@TitaWorks]

Hey guys: Thanks for sharing this video. I've used it in a post on my blog, LIFE-BUILT POEMS: Living Out Loud. Here's the link: lifebuiltpoems.com/take-opportune-action-another-ips/

[@Snowflake70]

Regardless of your view on time - "IT" never changes - the sooner you face that fact the better off you and the rest of us will be. Just my opinion? Perhaps. Man Is the only creature that can have a "perception" - after all ...man created it. Thus he "should" be mindful of his own creation - ya think?

[@themindminder]

Yes, You are right... I was just trying to be funny :)

[@lightsculler]

The bellow comment is in reply to Solthiel's silly post (6 comments below)

[@ajsharkmaniac07]

Rarely is the choice so black and white. Those who focus only on two will be unhappy in what could be a very long present(eg til retirement) than those who make token efforts to enjoy life while they are living it as well.

[@lightsculler]

You seem perturbed by a specific generalisation in the video, however you argue against ALL generalisations in your first paragraph. Generalised statements about humanity, particularly psychology, are OFTEN useful, since they provide a means of describing a phenomenon without having to wade through a morass of justifications and clarifications. Generalisations describe general trends; which are real, exist; and are useful to know. Your second paragraph makes me think you took marshmellow.

[@allurbase]

that's what's psychology is about this days :S

[@lvecsey]

what i don't like about his profession is when a soft or 'equality' view is used to describe people (leftover from freud), rather than just coming out and saying that a given viewpoint or personality that uses it is superior.

[@momentary_]

First to fail in life.

[@rumit9946]

@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg good point. I guess that's why successful people aren't always the most altruistic.

[@robp5451]

He wasted no time on his presentaiton

[@Hemphempmind]

not ON TIME ironic you watch this video and making A "WASTE OF TIME" comment. good luck on life!

[@LittleBillysWorld]

I think Philip under-estimates the present. We live in the present which is where the bulk of our life should exist. I think 70% present, 20% future and 10% past is closer to optimal. All positive of course.

[@derman077]

@wetyewruyrtsutrdhjfg Well said..full throttle !

[@andrewcox710]

God I wish he spoke a bit quicker! LOL Great theory though

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

What if the kid wasn't all that into eating a bunch of marshmallows? If they just wanted one it could be more logical to not wait.

[@TeamSonicDX]

We gotta generalize

[@Hemphempmind]

maybe you should add get a job 'that's worth the time of your limited life'. i assume you work for a company you actually care less about if not for the money? either way i say to each his own. enjoy your job as you seem to be proud by it.

[@pindakaas42]

you have got to be kidding me

[@Keith4Prez08]

first to comment, fool

[@Keith4Prez08]

FIRST! haha suckersss

[@GetMeThere1]

Too quick. Too thin. Needs examples, case studies.

[@MEpianist]

Disliked: fucking GE ad

[@biggerflexible]

LOL yeah this speech only proves my point that when you hit his age its time to put together an exit from this world.

[@Cam2016]

First what? Tool.