Judgment of Passage of Time during School Lunch: The Influence of Well-Being

What is it about?

Our study looks at how children's well-being and satisfaction during school lunch affect how they perceive the passage of time. While such research often focuses on nutrition, we explored a different aspect—how students feel emotionally during mealtime and how this impacts their judgment of how quickly time passes._x000D_ Time perception refers to how individuals experience the passage of time in their daily activities. It is influenced by several factors, such as emotions, attention, and the complexity of the task at hand. The judgment of passage of time (PoTJ) focuses on how fast or slow individuals feel time is moving. Research shows people tend to report time passing more quickly when they are engaged in enjoyable activities or feeling positive emotions, while it feels slower when they are bored, anxious, or stressed._x000D_ In our research, we surveyed 614 young French students across different age groups and found that children who were more satisfied with their mealtime experience felt like time passed more quickly. Younger children, especially preschoolers, reported faster time judgments compared to older students. This may be because younger students often receive more help and attention from adults during meals, creating more positive experiences._x000D_ These findings are important because they suggest how emotional experiences during mealtimes influence children's well-being and subjective time perception, which can inform policies and interventions in school settings. _x000D_

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