UBC study: how time framing influences goal pursuit and perceived duration

Researchers at the University of British Columbia examined 10 studies — including over 10,000 online course listings — and ran nine experiments with more than 6,000 participants. They report that phrasing like “2 hours and 55 minutes” shifts attention to smaller units and can make a span feel longer than a rounded label such as “three hours.” The paper highlights how framing affects perceived waiting times, deadlines and goal targets. The team notes potential practical uses for setting or communicating study commitments and clarifies they did not directly test procrastination.