The Effect of Music and Editing Style on Subjective Perception of Time When Watching Videos

Abstract Arousal, editing style, and eye movements have been implicated in time perception when watching videos. However, little multimodal research has explored how manipulating both the auditory and visual properties of videos affects temporal processing. This study investigated how editing density and music-induced arousal affect viewers’ time perception. Thirty-nine participants watched six videos varying in editing density and music while their eye movements were recorded. They estimated the videos’ duration and reported their subjective experience of time passage and emotional involvement. Fast-paced editing was associated with the feeling of time passing faster, a relationship mediated by fixation durations. High-arousal background music was also associated with the feeling of time passing faster. The consequences of this study in terms of a possible auditory driving effect are explored.