ED 485 - EPIC Education Psychologie Information et Communication
Publié le 4 novembre 2026 | Mis à jour le 4 novembre 2026
Time Perception as an Early Behavioural Marker of Loneliness and Cognitive Vulnerability in Ageing
How quickly time seems to pass is rarely the first thing that comes to mind when we reflect on our lives, yet it is a sensitive index of how we feel and how socially connected we are. Laboratory studies shows that the felt passage of time depends less on age itself than on affective and social life: time drags when people feel sad, under-stimulated or dissatisfied with their social interactions, and flies when they are absorbed and content. In parallel, loneliness has emerged as a major modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline, increasing dementia risk by about 30% independently of depression and objective isolation. Yet these two literatures have largely developed in parallel, and their connection remains untested in older adults.