I also believed that time dilation effect was due to adrenalin until I started taking beta blockers which stop the adrenalin rush. These days. if I have a moment, I simply cope with it in the cold hard light of day and I still have the time dilation effect. The adrenalin rush does not help anything, it is probably a primordial response to danger which prepares you for flight or fight. But it is un-necessary. Before I took beta-blockers, I used to suppress the adrenalin response and that is probably the worst thing you can do. If you were living in the wild, you fight the tiger and burn off the cholesterol which is formed as a result of the adrenalin rush. This is one of the things about workplace stress - you cannot bash your boss when he gets right up you over some triviality. During my life I had both the stressful job and the adrenalin rush from racing motorcycles. At age 65, I could not walk 15 feet without having an angina attack, I also had three strokes. However I am brand new now - after two major operations.