Do you ever get that feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day? That time is somehow racing away from you, and it is impossible to fit everything in. But then, you step outside into the countryside and suddenly everything seems slower, more relaxed, like time has somehow changed.

你是否有過這樣的感覺：一天的時間不夠用？時間不知不覺地從你身邊溜走，不可能把所有事情都安排好。但是，當你走到郊外，突然間一切都變得緩慢、輕鬆起來，就好像時間發生了某種變化。

It's not just you – recent research showed nature can regulate our sense of time.

不僅僅是你，最近的研究表明，大自然可以調節我們的時間感。

For many of us, the combined demands of work, home and family mean that we are always feeling like we don't have enough time. Time poverty has also been exacerbated by digital technologies. Permanent connectivity extends working hours and can make it difficult to switch off from the demands of friends and family.

對我們許多人來說，工作、家庭和家人的綜合需求意味著我們總是感覺時間不夠用。數字技術也加劇了時間貧乏。永久連接延長了工作時間，也使我們難以擺脫朋友和家人的要求。

Recent research suggests that the antidote to our lack of time may lie in the natural world. Psychologist Richardo Correia, at the University of Turku in Finland, found that being in nature may change how we experience time and, perhaps, even give us the sense of time abundance.

最新研究表明，解決我們時間匱乏問題的良方可能在於自然世界。芬蘭圖爾庫大學的心理學家理查多·科雷亞發現，身處在大自然中可能會改變我們對時間的體驗方式，甚至可能讓我們感覺到時間的充裕。

Correia examined research which compared people's experiences of time when they performed different types of tasks in urban and natural environments. These studies consistently showed that people report a sense of expanded time when they were in nature compared to when they were in an urban environment.

科雷亞查閱了比較人們在城市和自然環境中執行不同類型任務時對時間體驗的研究。這些研究一致表明，與在城市環境中相比，人們在大自然中會有時間更充裕的感覺。

For example, people are more likely to perceive a walk in the countryside as longer than a walk of the same length in the city. Similarly, people report perceiving time as passing more slowly while performing tasks in natural green environments than in urban environments. Nature seems to slow and expand our sense of time.

例如，與在城市中散步相比，人們更傾向於認為在郊外散步的時間更長。同樣，與城市環境相比，人們在綠色自然環境中執行任務時會覺得時間過得更慢。大自然似乎減緩並擴展了我們的時間感。

It's not just our sense of time in the moment which appears to be altered by the natural world, it's also our sense of the past and future. Previous research shows that spending time in nature helps to shift our focus from the immediate moment towards our future needs. So rather than focusing on the stress of the demands on our time, nature helps us to see the bigger picture.

自然世界似乎不僅改變了我們當下的時間感，還改變了我們對過去和未來的時間感。先前的研究表明，在大自然中度過的時間有助於將我們的注意力從眼前轉移到未來的需求上。因此，大自然會幫助我們看到更廣闊的前景，而不是專注於時間要求帶給我們的壓力。

This can help us to prioritise our actions so that we meet our long-term goals rather than living in a perpetual state of "just about keeping our head above water".

這可以幫助我們確定行動的輕重緩急，從而實現我們的長期目標，而不是永遠生活在“只求過得去”的狀態中。

This is in part because spending time in nature appears to make us less impulsive, enabling us to delay instant gratification in favour of long-term rewards.

這在一定程度上是因為在大自然中度過的時間似乎會讓我們不那麼衝動，使我們能夠延遲即時滿足感，轉而追求長期回報。

Why does nature affect our sense of time?

為什麼大自然會影響我們的時間觀念？

Spending time in nature is known to have many benefits for health and wellbeing. Having access to natural spaces such as beaches, parks and woodlands is associated with reduced anxiety and depression, improved sleep, reduced levels of obesity and cardiovascular disease, and improved wellbeing.

眾所週知，在大自然中度過時光對健康和幸福有很多好處。擁有海灘、公園和林地等自然空間與減少焦慮和抑鬱、改善睡眠、降低肥胖和心血管疾病水平以及提高幸福感有關。

Some of these benefits may explain why being in nature alters our experience of time.

其中一些好處或許可以解釋為什麼身處大自然中會改變我們對時間的體驗。

The way we experience time is shaped by our internal biological state and the events going on in the world around us. As a result, emotions such as stress, anxiety and fear can distort our sense of the passage of time.

我們體驗時間的方式是由我們的內在生理狀態和週圍世界發生的事件決定的。因此，壓力、焦慮和恐懼等情緒會扭曲我們對時間流逝的感知。

The relaxing effect of natural environments may counter stress and anxiety, resulting in a more stable experience of time. Indeed, the absence of access to nature during COVID-19 may help to explain why people's sense of time became so distorted during the pandemic lockdowns.

自然環境的放鬆效果可以抵消壓力和焦慮，使我們對時間的體驗更加穩定。事實上，在新冠疫情期間無法接觸大自然可能有助於解釋為什麼在大流行病封鎖期間人們的時間感會變得如此扭曲。

In the short term, being away from the demands of modern day life may provide the respite needed to re-prioritise life, and reduce time pressure by focusing on what actually needs to be done. In the longer term, time in nature may help to enhance our memory and attention capacity, making us better able to deal with the demands on our time.

從短期來看，遠離現代生活的需求可以讓我們得到喘息的機會，從而重新確定生活的優先次序，並通過專注於真正需要做的事情來減輕時間壓力。從長遠來看，在大自然中度過的時間可能有助於增強我們的記憶力和注意力，使我們能夠更好地處理對時間的需求。

Accessing nature

親近大自然

Getting out into nature may sound like a simple fix, but for many people, particularly those living in urban areas, nature can be hard to access. Green infrastructure such as trees, woodlands, parks and allotments in and around towns and cities are essential to making sure the benefits of time in nature are accessible to everyone.

到大自然中去聽起來似乎很簡單，但對很多人來說，尤其是生活在城市地區的人，可能很難接觸到大自然。要確保每個人都能享受到大自然帶來的益處，城鎮及週邊地區的樹木、林地、公園和種植園等綠色基礎設施是必不可少的。

If spending time in nature isn't possible for you, there are other ways that you can regain control of your time. Start by closely examining how you use time throughout your week. Auditing your time can help you see where time is being wasted and to identify action to help you to free up more time in your life.

如果您無法在大自然中度過美好時光，您還可以通過其他方式重新掌控自己的時間。首先，仔細檢查自己一週中如何利用時間。審核時間可以幫助您發現時間浪費在哪里，並確定行動，幫助您在生活中騰出更多時間。

Alternatively, try to set yourself some boundaries in how you use time. This could be limiting when you access emails and social media, or it could be booking in time in your calendar to take a break. Taking control of your time and how you use it can help to you overcome the sense that time is running away from you.

或者，在如何使用時間方面為自己設定一些界限。這可以是限制您訪問電子郵件和社交媒體的時間，也可以是在您的日歷中預定休息時間。控制好自己的時間和使用方式，有助於克服 “時間正在離你遠去”的感覺。

來源：The Conversation、Science Alert、煎蛋網