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Q&A Explain like I'm 5 – After glancing at a clock, why does the first second sometimes feel longer than the rest? [closed]

I don't understand either of these Reddit comments that are still too complicated. Please simplify? Alfenhose An interesting phenomena, it is because the brain doesn't store what you saw during ...

0 answers  ·  posted 3y ago by TextKit‭  ·  closed 3y ago by Mithrandir24601‭

Question time
#3: Question closed by user avatar Mithrandir24601‭ · 2021-02-18T14:09:33Z (about 3 years ago)
#2: Post edited by user avatar TextKit‭ · 2021-02-18T07:44:06Z (about 3 years ago)
  • I don't understand either of these Reddit comments that are still too complicated. Please simplify?
  • [Alfenhose](https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/e07btq8/).
  • > An interesting phenomena, it is because the brain doesn't store what you saw during the time your eye spent moving, instead the brain fills in this time with what you saw when you stopped moving your eye.
  • >
  • > Wikipedia has an article on [chronostasis and the stopped clock illusion](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronostasis) if you want to read about it.
  • [Gnonthgol](https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/e07c0fy/)
  • > When you move your eye or blink the images from your eyes are just blurry or dark and therefore quite useless for your brain to interpret. So the brain use the information from the view before and after the eye movement to fill in the blanks. So if you move your eye to the clock as the second hand is moving your brain does not see the second hand moving and interprets it as if it have been standing still during the entire time you moved your eye. So the first second looks longer because your brain makes the wrong assumption.
  • I don't understand either of these Reddit comments that are still too complicated. Please simplify? [Alfenhose](https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/e07btq8/)
  • > An interesting phenomena, it is because the brain doesn't store what you saw during the time your eye spent moving, instead the brain fills in this time with what you saw when you stopped moving your eye.
  • >
  • > Wikipedia has an article on [chronostasis and the stopped clock illusion](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronostasis) if you want to read about it.
  • [Gnonthgol](https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/e07c0fy/)
  • > When you move your eye or blink the images from your eyes are just blurry or dark and therefore quite useless for your brain to interpret. So the brain use the information from the view before and after the eye movement to fill in the blanks. So if you move your eye to the clock as the second hand is moving your brain does not see the second hand moving and interprets it as if it have been standing still during the entire time you moved your eye. So the first second looks longer because your brain makes the wrong assumption.
#1: Initial revision by user avatar TextKit‭ · 2021-02-18T07:43:52Z (about 3 years ago)
Explain like I'm 5 – After glancing at a clock, why does the first second sometimes feel longer than the rest?
I don't understand either of these Reddit comments that are still too complicated. Please simplify? 

[Alfenhose](https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/e07btq8/).

> An interesting phenomena, it is because the brain doesn't store what you saw during the time your eye spent moving, instead the brain fills in this time with what you saw when you stopped moving your eye.
> 
> Wikipedia has an article on [chronostasis and the stopped clock illusion](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronostasis) if you want to read about it.

[Gnonthgol](https://old.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8ozyln/eli5_when_glancing_at_a_clock_why_does_the_first/e07c0fy/)

> When you move your eye or blink the images from your eyes are just blurry or dark and therefore quite useless for your brain to interpret. So the brain use the information from the view before and after the eye movement to fill in the blanks. So if you move your eye to the clock as the second hand is moving your brain does not see the second hand moving and interprets it as if it have been standing still during the entire time you moved your eye. So the first second looks longer because your brain makes the wrong assumption.