Christmas comes faster every year? Psychology study sheds light on holiday time distortions

New research published in PLOS One investigates why annual events like Christmas and Ramadan often feel like they come around more quickly each year. The study, which spanned participants in the United Kingdom and Iraq, found that the perception of time speeding up between such events is widespread and influenced by factors such as enjoyment of the event, memory function, and attention to time. Importantly, the study challenges the common belief that these distortions in time perception are more pronounced with age.

The sensation that time speeds up as we age—or that recurring events like Christmas seem to arrive faster—has become a common anecdote in everyday life. However, this feeling isn’t fully understood. Previous research has often linked distortions in time perception to short-term experiences, such as how an engaging activity can make hours feel like minutes, or boredom can stretch minutes into an eternity. Less is known about how time distortions occur over longer periods, particularly for events that recur annually.

The researchers aimed to explore whether specific psychological factors—like emotional responses to the events, memory function, and attentional habits—contribute to these perceptions. They also sought to determine whether age plays a significant role, as is often assumed.

The sensation that time speeds up as we age—or that recurring events like Christmas seem to arrive faster—has become a common anecdote in everyday life. However, this feeling isn’t fully understood. Previous research has often linked distortions in time perception to short-term experiences, such as how an engaging activity can make hours feel like minutes, or boredom can stretch minutes into an eternity. Less is known about how time distortions occur over longer periods, particularly for events that recur annually.

The researchers aimed to explore whether specific psychological factors—like emotional responses to the events, memory function, and attentional habits—contribute to these perceptions. They also sought to determine whether age plays a significant role, as is often assumed.

The researchers carried out two studies—one focusing on Christmas in the United Kingdom and the other on Ramadan in Iraq. Both events were chosen for their cultural significance and the way they punctuate the annual calendar.

The first study recruited 789 participants, aged 18 to 80, through an online platform. Participants were asked to rate their agreement with the statement, “Christmas comes around more quickly each year,” using a seven-point scale. They also completed questionnaires assessing their attention to time, enjoyment of Christmas, memory function, and overall quality of life.

To measure memory, the researchers used a self-reported tool that assessed prospective memory (remembering to do things in the future) and retrospective memory (recalling past events). Emotional responses to Christmas were gauged through a separate scale, and attention to time was assessed by asking participants how frequently they thought about time in their daily lives.

The second study followed a similar design but replaced references to Christmas with Ramadan. This study involved 621 participants from Iraq, all of whom self-identified as Muslim. The questionnaires were adapted to reflect cultural differences, such as using validated Arabic translations. Like the first study, participants were asked to evaluate the passage of time, memory function, enjoyment of Ramadan, and attention to time.

The timing of each study aligned with the lead-up to the respective events, as these periods often involve heightened awareness and preparation, potentially influencing perceptions of time.

Both studies revealed a strong agreement with the idea that annual events seem to come around more quickly each year. In the United Kingdom, 76% of participants agreed that Christmas felt like it came sooner, while 70% of participants in Iraq expressed the same belief about Ramadan.

Several key factors were linked to these perceptions:

1. Event enjoyment: Participants who reported greater enjoyment of Christmas or Ramadan were more likely to feel that these events came around faster. This aligns with previous research suggesting that positive emotions can make time feel like it passes more quickly.
2. Attention to time: Increased day-to-day focus on time was associated with stronger beliefs that the events arrived sooner. This may reflect heightened awareness or time pressure as the events approach.
3. Memory function: Surprisingly, prospective memory errors—difficulty in remembering future tasks—were linked to a faster perceived passage of time. This suggests that thinking ahead to event-related tasks might influence the sensation of time speeding up.
4. Age: Contrary to popular belief, older age was not associated with greater time distortions for annual events. In Iraq, younger participants were actually more likely to perceive Ramadan as arriving quickly, while age had no significant effect in the United Kingdom.

Despite their similarities as annual milestones, Christmas and Ramadan differ in duration, cultural practices, and timing. Christmas is fixed on December 25, while Ramadan shifts based on the lunar calendar. The researchers noted that these differences might influence how time is experienced, but the psychological predictors of time distortion—enjoyment, attention, and memory—remained consistent across both cultures.

While the study sheds light on the psychological factors influencing perceptions of time, it also has limitations. For example, the use of self-reported questionnaires introduces the potential for bias. Participants may respond based on cultural stereotypes or general beliefs rather than actual experiences.

Nevertheless, the study demonstrates that the sensation of annual events coming around more quickly is a shared experience across cultures, rooted in psychological factors like memory, attention, and emotional responses.

“The results of this study suggests that there is widespread belief that annual events such as Christmas and Ramadan feel as though they come around more quickly each year,” the researchers concluded. “The sensation is not therefore limited to a single culture or event. The extent to which people agreed that these events appear to occur more quickly each year was predicted by prospective memory function, event specific enjoyment and attention to time. Critically, older age was not associated with greater speeding up of time between events in either country. These findings highlight that our experience of time is not just influenced by what we have already done, but also our capacity to remember what remains to be done. Further research exploring the role of prospective memory in timing is therefore warranted.”

The study, “Distortions to the passage of time for annual events: Exploring why Christmas and Ramadan feel like they come around more quickly each year,” was authored by Ruth Ogden, Saad S. J. Alatrany, Ashraf Muwafaq Flaiyah, Hasan ALi Sayyid ALdrraji, Hanan Musa, Abbas S. S. Alatrany, and Dhiya Al-Jumeily.