Time Expansion Experiences: A Survey and A Qualitative Study
Steve Taylor, Krisztina Egeto-Szabo, Marc Wittmann
Timing & Time Perception September 17, 2026 DOI: 10.1163/22134468-bja10139 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey and qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,043 |
| Population | US residents, socio-demographically representative sample |
| Key findings | 70% of 1043 US residents reported at least one time expansion experience, most commonly triggered by accidents or emergencies (52%), then trauma or psychological turmoil (16%) and altered states of consciousness (11%). TEEs were most frequent among middle-aged adults, and males reported multiple TEEs more often than females. The authors conclude TEEs are a real present experience rather than an illusion of recollection and suggest a strong link to altered states of consciousness. |
Abstract
Abstract We report the findings of a survey and a qualitative study of “time expansion experiences” (TEEs) in which time subjectively slows down dramatically. We found that 70% of a sample of 1043 US residents reported at least one TEE in their lives, with many people reporting multiple TEEs. The most significant trigger/context of TEEs in our sample was accidents/emergencies (52%), followed by “trauma/psychological turmoil” (16%) and “altered states of consciousness” (11%). TEEs were reported most frequently among middle-aged adults and males were more likely to report multiple TEEs than females. 41 survey respondents also provided qualitative accounts of their experiences. A thematic analysis was undertaken to ascertain the characteristics and after-effects of the TEEs. We present excerpts from these accounts to convey the subjective quality of TEEs. We conclude that TEEs are a real experience that occurs in the present, rather than an illusion of recollection, and suggest that they are strongly linked to altered states of consciousness. This is the first study to assess TEEs in a socio-demographically representative sample of individuals.