The General Relativity of the Human Brain: The Effects of Gravity on Human Perception of Time on Earth

A century ago, Einstein revolutionized physics with his theory of relativity, showing that space and time are not the same for everyone. They can be altered depending on gravity and speed an object experiences. Previous studies argued that human space and time perception also work according to Einstein's general relativity theory by proving that in weightlessness astronauts tended to underestimate distances and time durations due to the absence of the gravitational reference. The current research was intended to further support this argument by assessing whether the subtle changes in gravity, such as made by the moon’s orbital period, can alter human time perception on Earth during everyday activities. The results of the experiments showed that relative to the time when the moon is in medium distance from Earth, there is underestimation of perceived time duration, when the moon’s position is close to perigee.