The Time Paradox

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Shandi76
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Post by Shandi76 »

This maybe isn't directly related to ERE, but I enjoyed The Time Paradox by Philip Zimbardo (of the Stanford Prison Experiment) and John Boyd. The premise is that your time perspective affects your choices in life, and also your level of satisfaction with life.
You can find out your time perspective by taking the ZTPI here www.thetimeparadox.com/surveys
I scored highly on future and past-positive, and very low on present-fatalistic but apparently I'm not hedonistic enough.


jacob
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Post by jacob »

Past-negative 1.70

Past-positive 2.22

Present-hedonistic 3.00

Present-fatalistic 1.11

Future 4.23
I was expecting something like that. The future is what is interesting to me. so many possibilities. The present is not important to me as it is just a single moment and then it's gone. The future, however is what becomes the present which is why it is interesting. The past is gone---all the past is, is a big data set which is useful to make theories about the future.


Shandi76
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Post by Shandi76 »

My exact scores were:
Past-negative 2.40

Past-positive 4.00

Present-hedonistic 3.00

Present-fatalistic 1.67

Future 4.23
@Jacob - Your scores are pretty extreme, though we scored the same for two. You are so logical. I know the past is gone, but I can still get nostalgic about things, and like having happy memories of now-departed relatives etc.


sshawnn
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Post by sshawnn »

Past-negative 3.00

Past-positive 2.00

Present-hedonistic 4.27

Present-fatalistic 1.67

Future 3.38
I cant wait for my wife to take this.


m741
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Location: Seattle, WA

Post by m741 »

Past-negative: 3.10

Past-positive: 4.11

Present-hedonistic: 2.47

Present-fatalistic: 1.67

Future: 3.77
Not really sure what it means. Guess I think a lot about the past and future, and not much about the present?


HSpencer
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Post by HSpencer »

past-negative 2.60

Past-positive 3.89

Present-hedonistic 2.93

Present-fatalistic 2.44

Future 3.92
Thanks I enjoyed the test.


George the original one
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Post by George the original one »

Past-negative 3.10

Past-positive 4.00

Present-hedonistic 3.20

Present-fatalistic 2.11

Future 3.31
I think my take-away is that I'm generally a positive person, but consider the past when looking ahead in time.


S
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Post by S »

Past-negative 2.10

Past-positive 2.56

Present-hedonistic 3.33

Present-fatalistic 1.22

Future 2.08
So I'm below average on everything except hedonism. I don't identify much with the description of the present-hedonist person since I dislike parties and being the center of attention, though I am kind of lazy and easily distracted. I do "live to consume the good life", but I think my idea of the good life is substantially different than the description.


dragoncar
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Post by dragoncar »

Past-negative 2.80

Past-positive 3.00

Present-hedonistic 3.20

Present-fatalistic 2.44

Future 3.31
I think more about the positive than the negative, just not as much more as "they" think I should. I think more about the future than the present or past, just not as much more as "they" think I should.
Subjectively, the numbers look off because in truth I very rarely think about the past. I answered most of the past questions as "when you DO think about the past, XYZ"
In fact, I thought more about the past during the survey than any time in recent memory, because they were asking about it!


SF
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Post by SF »

Past-negative 3.60

Past-positive 3.44

Present-hedonistic 3.33

Present-fatalistic 1.67

Future 3.77
However, I can't get over the format of the questions and (especially) the answers. True or false, OK. But "very true" or "very false"? I had to stretch my mind to accommodate how something could be more than true.


An8el
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Post by An8el »

Here's the seven minute talk on the source of the test:

http://blog.ted.com/2009/06/22/philip_zimbardo/
Curious how high most of the people here are on future category, isn't it? The nature of this site is sort of self-selecting in that feature...
Here's mine, (which will probably be different the next time I take it!)
Past-Negative; 3.40

Past-positive: 4.60

Present fatalistic: 2.33

Present-hedonistic: 4.44

Future: 3.08

Trans-Future: 3.80
For comparison, the 'desirable' ideal is:

Past Negative: 1.95

Past Positive: 4.00

Present Fatalism: 2.80

Trans-Future: 3.3

Present Hedonistic: 3.9
Looks as if everyone but me could use a little more hedonism... ;o)


DanielT
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Re: The Time Paradox

Post by DanielT »

This is mine now, I wish I'd taken it in 2011 when I joined the forum. But maybe I will take it again in 5 years to see how it progresses.
Past-negative: 2.60
Past-positive: 4.44
Present-fatalistic: 2.11
Present-hedonistic: 3.53
Future: 3.85

AnalyticalEngine
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Re: The Time Paradox

Post by AnalyticalEngine »

Here are mine. Oddly I seem to be both past and future oriented.

Past-negative: 2.40
Past-positive: 4.78
Present-fatalistic: 2.78
Present-hedonistic: 1.67
Future: 4.77

prognastat
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Re: The Time Paradox

Post by prognastat »

Past-negative: 2.70
Past-positive: 2.22
Present-fatalistic: 1.33
Present-hedonistic: 2.40
Future: 3.92

It seems everyone scores high on Future as would be expected from a board where people are/have been generally planning for more than 5-10 years into the future.

I do have to question their "optimal" distribution though and also the amount someone would be able to move themselves on the scale by sheer force of will.

daylen
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Re: The Time Paradox

Post by daylen »

Past-negative: 1.90
Past-positive: 3.22
Present-fatalistic: 2.67
Present-hedonistic: 3.20
Future: 2.62

I think I have a few programs running in the background that others here do not. :P

One of these programs seems to have a will of its own and produces visions. It sounds kind of crazy, but possession is a very common theme in popular culture. During these episodes there is not really a "self" anymore, and there appears to be some synesthesia going on. Similar in some ways to a DMT experience.

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Sclass
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Re: The Time Paradox

Post by Sclass »

Answering these questions made me think about everything I don’t like about my life. I think I kind of messed up in not living for the day when I could have.

Past-negative: 3.30
Past-positive: 2.78
Present-fatalistic: 1.44
Present-hedonistic: 1.93
Future: 4.62

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Seppia
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Location: South Florida

Re: The Time Paradox

Post by Seppia »

Past-negative: 2.40
Past-positive: 3.44
Present-fatalistic: 2.22
Present-hedonistic: 3.07
Future: 3.85

Interesting test. I think it more or less reflects my nature*

*thats one of the issues with surveys, I'm always afraid our mind tricks us into responding in a way that tilts the outcome towards what we believe we are.

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fiby41
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Re: The Time Paradox

Post by fiby41 »

Thanks for taking the Transcendental-future Time Perspective survey. Compare your score to the graph below.

Transcendental-future Time Perspective score: 3.70


Past negative 2.1
Past positive 3.67
Present fatalism 1.67
Present hedonism 4.33
Future 3.69
Transcendental future 3.4

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