At the end of the chapter “Start” in Effortless, McKeown says, “In recent years neuroscientists and psychologists have found that the ‘now’ we experience only lasts 2.5 seconds. This is our psychological present.” While I had some understanding of our present moment only being fleeting, I don’t think I had ever heard a specific amount of time tied to it before.
It was interesting to think back to the Experiencing Self vs. the Remembering Self that Kahneman introduced in Thinking Fast and Slow in the light of this 2.5 seconds as our psychological present.
Kahneman explains that “Confusing experience with the memory of it is a compelling cognitive illusion, and it is the substitution that makes us believe a past experience can be ruined.”
So, just 2.5 seconds, something that seems incredibly short to us, has an immense impact on how we experience the world. We can use those 2.5 seconds to make a positive change—use them to start writing a new blog post, open a book instead of turning on the TV, or put on shoes to go for a walk.
The flip side of the 2.5 seconds is what social media apps exploit. They know human psychology and understand that it only takes us 2.5 seconds to get into infinite scrolling and get lost down the rabbit hole of online posts.
Take back your 2.5 seconds of your present moment and do something positive for you and your business—yes, like right now.
Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!