The Impact of Emotions, Flow and Addiction on Time Perception in Short Videos: An Experimental and Survey Study

Short-form video platforms, including TikTok, have rapidly gained popularity. Their emotionally charged, algorithm-curated content can promote addiction and distort time perception. However, there is a scarcity of research on time perception within the realm of short videos. This study aimed to explore the influence of short video emotions, individual emotions, short video addiction, and flow on time perception using experimental and survey methods. Study 1 recruited 158 participants (Mean age = 21.50 years, SD = 2.16), and employed a 2 (time estimation paradigm: prospective, retrospective) × 3 (video emotion: positive, neutral, negative) between-subjects experimental design to investigate the impact of short video emotions, time estimation paradigms, short video addiction, and flow on time perception. Findings revealed that short video emotions influenced time perception, with positive videos leading to an underestimation of duration and a faster perception of time passage. Additionally, both short video emotions and addiction predicted the perception of time passage through flow. Study 2 conducted a survey of 525 participants (Mean age = 21.53 years, SD = 2.14) and utilised structural equation modelling to explore the associations between individual emotions (depression, anxiety, boredom), short video addiction, flow, and time perception. Depression and short video addiction predicted time perception through flow, further clarifying the relationships among these variables. The findings extend the I-PACE model and flow theory to popular short-video media, highlighting the role of flow in linking emotions, addiction, and time perception during short-video use.