Why Time Flies Faster as You Get Older
No one has yet come up with a full explanation for why time seems to accelerate as we get older, but there are some theories to account for this disturbingly real phenomenon.
It’s a common complaint from us older folks that time appears to go by faster and faster as we age. This phenomenon is reported fairly universally across many countries and cultures. But it’s still a fairly unresolved question as to why time appears to be so much more fleeting as we get older. Recently, some theories have been developed to explain this phenomenon.
Some researchers seem to think that the perception time speeds up as we age has a lot to do with the amount of experience we acquire as we age and the relative lack of experience with novel, intriguing new experiences. They propose that when we’re young, and almost everything is new and interesting, much more information has to get encoded in the brain. Our first walk in the forest, our first day of school, our first kiss, etc. all stimulate our senses and flood our brains with a deluge of previously unknown information. The processing of all this information takes time and is actually quite exhausting. Doing things that have become routine — like driving to work every day — don’t require any new processing, and the experience seems to go by quickly. So, it appears the brain is wired in such a way that when we learn something for the first time, the experience itself appears to take more time. Some researchers note that when most people think of early experiences that are deeply etched in memory, even the act of remembering or reliving them appears to go in slow motion.
A few researchers question the theory above as a suitable explanation for why time appears to go by faster as we age. They point out that as we get older, especially in our 60s and 70s, memories become more precious than ever, and when people recount their experiences, they tend to give almost every detail.
So far, no one has come up with a really satisfactory explanation for why time seems to accelerate as we get older. And I for one can testify to the fact that this phenomenon is disturbingly real. I can’t believe it’s the middle of Spring already when just the other day it was Christmas! I’d say “Stop the world, I want to get off!” but I’m not quite ready to jump ship just yet. What I’d really like is for time to stop racing away from me at such an unmerciful pace. You see, the faster it goes by, the more I have to reckon with the fact that my time on the planet is inevitably running out. (Sigh)
5 Responses (2 Discussion Threads) to “Why Time Flies Faster as You Get Older”
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Great post! I was just going to write one myself on this topic so now I’ll have to come up with something else. It is that feeling of hurtling towards old age that can be terrifying. When we’re young time seems to drag on forever as we impatiently await those milestones…driver’s license, high school graduation, turning 21, college graduation, etc. It’s all downhill from there! :)
Good comments, Cyndi. I remember well anticipating those milestones, thinking “if only I could just…”. Then, they came and went and the ordeals of everyday life kicked in, making the time go by faster and faster. Now, instead of wanting to hurry up and get there, I’m wanting to freeze time and savor moments.
Doesn’t it seem more than a bit ironic that you don’t really appreciate the value of time until it begins slipping away?
Yes it is ironic. Also ironic that when we have the time and money (hopefully) to slow down and just enjoy life (retirement) we don’t have as much energy or stamina as when we were young.
Hey there!
Great discussion. I for one, am going to put a spiritual spin on this, and since there doesn’t seem to be a medical one, I think it deserves some thought. So please humor me and I will take a stab at it. Could it be that God puts it into our hearts to realize that we are nearing the end of our lives? To make sure that we don’t waste our time before it is to late? I want more meaningful time spent as I get older, I want to make better choices so that I can squeeze every bit of family time out of life. I want to appreciate my friends because there are times when I will be alone. I want to make a difference with the second half of my life so that it won’t be wasted on just thinking about me. It makes me want to be sure I have a calm assurance of a faith in a God that will be something to look forward to in the next life, not something to be feared. This wouldn’t happen if I wasn’t aware of the time speeding by, for me personally. I think it is a gift.
Great slant on the topic, Karen. Perhaps as youngsters we simply can’t fully appreciate the wondrous gift we’ve all been given. Only after we come to realize the abundance of our blessings and the preciousness of our memories can we begin to think of how indebted we are. I think that sense of indebtedness is a prerequisite for appreciation.