We all know one who is used to being late and install on meeting both personal and professional.

In this trend, which seems unintentional, according to experts, a number of factors play a role, such as perception and time management, as well as personality.

“Perhaps there is a mechanism in the brain that makes some people late because they underestimate the time it takes to get to an appointment,” said Hugo Spears, professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London and his colleagues. -Head of a 2017 study published in the scientific journal Hippocampus.

As he himself explains, sub-ridge brain structure responsible for time functionsfor example, remember when to do something and how long it takes.

Another study published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience suggests that neurons in the hypothalamus that act as “temporal cells” contribute to our perception of time and memory, but why some people tend to constantly underestimate time remains unclear.

Factors

One factor, Spears explains, may be related to it. space. In a 2017 survey, he asked 20 students who had recently moved to London to draw a map of their university area and calculate downtime for different destinations. Although their space estimates expanded with knowledge of the area, travel time calculations changed as they got to know each other. “If you are very familiar with space, you start to discount the hassle it will bring,” says Spears.

In other cases, experts say, the delay is related to how we evaluate time. how much do we think we need to similar past actions and commitments, but our memories and perceptions are not always accurate.

“If we have a lot of experience in an activity, we are more likely to underestimate how much we need,” says Emily Waldum, an assistant professor at Campbell University in North Carolina and lead author of the 2016 study. Found out that environmental factorssuch as music or crowds and overcrowding can change the sense of time.

In particular, while working on general questions, Waldum found that they misjudged the duration of a task based on the songs they heard in the background.

On the other hand, in a 2022 study, the researchers asked participants to estimate the duration of subway rides in movements are more or less crowded. They found that people on the busiest routes felt that the duration was shorter. 10% morecompared to less crowded ones, which the researchers say suggests it was an unpleasant experience.

OUR personality also plays a role in people being late. Certain characteristics, such as reduced awareness, can make many people forget about planned commitments, Waldum said. “Another factor that can affect people’s compliance with deadlines is how likely they are to multitasking“, he adds.

Studies show that people who multitask are less likely to remember and complete other tasks on time. “The best-laid plans can fail simply because we don’t care to carry them out,” Waldum explains.

Yes, often latecomers do not realize that they are late, notes Grace Pacey, author of Late! A guide to the magic of time on why we are late and how we can change. And that’s because basically people who are constantly chasing a schedule are trying to convince themselves and others that they can succeed and be consistent. “We can be on time when something is important, when there will be consequences for being late, like missing a flight,” says Pacey.

Of course there may be a delay. symptom of procrastinationadds Fuchsia Sirua, professor of psychology at Durham University in England, elaborating that procrastination is usually associated with a difficult emotional relationship with commitment itself.

According to Pacey, the difference between procrastination and being late is how the latter affects our relationships with others.

Source: live science