The Round Trip Effect: Why the Journey Back Feels Shorter
๐๐ญ Ever felt like the return leg of a trip flew by? You leave home, embark on an exciting journey, and time seems to drag. But coming back? Blink and you're already unpacking your bags. It’s not just in your head — it’s a real psychological phenomenon called The Round Trip Effect . ๐ง What Is the Round Trip Effect? The Round Trip Effect is a psychological bias where people perceive return journeys as shorter than outward ones — even when both legs take the exact same amount of time . It sounds strange, but multiple studies back it up. Researchers suggest that on the way to a destination, you're more focused on the unknown — checking your map, watching the time, anticipating what’s coming. All that mental energy makes time feel stretched out. On the way back, everything is familiar, so your brain chills and lets time fly. ๐งช Quick Science Drop A 2011 study from Tilburg University found that return trips feel shorter because the brain expects the return to take long...