Sovrastime

Sovrastime is a neologistic concept used to describe the exaggerated perception or measurement of time under certain conditions. In informal discourse, sovrastime refers to a perceived expansion of duration relative to an objective clock, often associated with intense focus, novelty, high cognitive load, or emotional arousal. The term does not correspond to a recognized physical quantity.

Origin and usage: The word combines the prefix "sovra-" meaning over with "time" in English, and has appeared mainly in speculative writing, design discussions, and online forums as a way to discuss subjective time dilation without invoking physics. It is not standard in psychology or physics.

Formalization: In discussions that use sovrastime informally, it is treated as a ratio: sovrastime = subjective duration / objective duration. Examples include a long ten-minute interview that feels like twenty minutes, or a thrilling scene that passes quickly, though measured time remains unchanged. Since it is not an established measure, applications vary by author.

Applications and relation: In media studies and game design, sovrastime can help describe pacing effects or user experience. In cognitive science, researchers study subjective time using established concepts such as time perception, temporal binding, and attentional models rather than the term itself. See also subjective time, time perception, time dilation.