There is a developing psychology of time perception, which suggests our relationship to time affects how happy we are. Below is a fantastic animated illustration of Professor Philip Zimbardo’s theories on this.

I love that where you live in relation to the equator affects your perception of time.  You can also hear more about Robert Levine’s studies on pace of life on the Radiolab Cities episode. (I am very tempted to compare average walking speed and how long it takes to post a parcel in Knoydart. I have a feeling it might be a lot slower.)

Follow this link to take the Zimbardo Time Perception test yourself and find out whether you are too hedonistic, fatalistic or able to exercise delayed gratification.. I scored OK on the time perception test, but I have a feeling I would have failed miserably at the  Marshmallow Experiment (see below) as a child, which is a shame as all future success in life seems to be based on it.