Think about the last trip you took to a new place. Maybe you went on vacation or maybe you just went across town. Did you notice that it seemed to take more time to reach your destination than it did to return home? This sensation of seeming to take longer to make a trip than it is to return home is universal and even has an official scientific name. It is referred to as the “return trip effect” by those who research it. There are plenty of theories behind what causes the “return trip effect.”

Researchers believe three things—emotions, expectations and familiarity affect our perception of how time passes. Strong emotions like fear or excitement seem to slow down our perception of time. Any parent who has heard the question, “Are we there yet?” from the back seat of a car can relate to thi…