When soon feels far and later looms imminent: Decoupling absolute and relative timing estimates

Abstract Time estimation regarding the occurrence of unknown future events can be done on both absolute (“How many days from now will it happen?”) and relative (“How far from now does it feel?”) units, yet investigations to date have examined each with little reference to the other. We consider both constructs simultaneously, documenting an instance in which absolute versus relative units result in a reversal for timing estimates. In Study 1, people thinking at a higher, abstract level of construal report later time estimates on an absolute unit but sooner time estimates on a relative unit, a pattern reversed among those at a lower, concrete level. Study 2a replicates that people thinking abstractly report later time estimates on an absolute unit while simultaneously using a broader scope by which to conceptualize time, and Study 2b provides evidence that these processes provide one possible mechanistic account for the reversal: People estimating time on a relative unit compare a subject (an absolute time estimate) to a referent (the salient mental time scope), which accounts for the tendency of people thinking abstractly (concretely) to report shorter (longer) estimates in relative time. Theoretical and practical implications for the estimation and experience of time are discussed.