You have probably heard that time flies. But as you age, time starts running wildly. This phenomenon sounds absurd but science has its explanation.
Researchers have spent years studying why time seems to speed up with age, with a 2019 Cambridge University Press study pointing to a “misalignment between mental-image time and clock time.”
Here is the science between Mind Time and Clock Time. The measurable clock time including 24 hours does not match “mind time,” shaped by the mental images and life experiences.
If we explain through proportional theory, it means as we age, a single year becomes a much smaller fraction of our total life experience, making it feel shorter. For example, a single year is 10 percent of your life at age 10, 3.3 percent at age 30, and just 2 percent at age 50. That shifting proportion is why time seems to accelerate as we grow older.
Mental healthcare company ReachLink also found five possible reasons time appears to speed up as we age.
Proportional Theory: Each passing year represents a progressively smaller percentage of everything you have lived through.
Novelty Deficit: Routine and a lack of new experiences mean fewer distinct memories are created, making time look compressed in hindsight.
Attention Absorption: Familiar tasks put the brain on autopilot, making us less conscious of the clock as it ticks by.
Emotional Flattening: Burnout, monotony, and stress create thin, interchangeable memories, whereas intense emotions leave lasting, distinct impressions.
Dopamine Changes: Shifts in dopamine levels as we age may directly impact how the brain processes the passage of time.
But you can still slow down the time by breaking the monotonous routine. It means forcing yourself to try unusual things and restrain yourself from repetitive daily tasks. The second option is based on seeking novelty like pushing yourself to surprises, creating new things, and embracing new ideas to generate fresh memories that expand your perception of time.
