Ever felt like your watch has stopped? The “stopped watch illusion” explained

Have you ever glanced at your watch, and it looked to have stopped for that split second?

It’s happened to me for years, but I’ve never mentioned it. Maybe watches were playing mind games on me?

However, it’s actually a fairly regular occurrence, named the “stopped clock illusion” or “stopped watch illusion”. Or even, to be super technical, “chronostasis”. I attempt to explain this phenomenon in just a few minutes.