Why Does Time Fly As We Age?

The older we get, the faster time seems to fly by. How often do you wonder where the time has gone? Is it your birthday again so soon? Well, one week has 10080 minutes in it no matter how fast it may seem to pass but there are scientific reasons for why our perception of time changes as we age.

As far back as 1890, Psychologist William James wrote that time seems to speed up because we measure ‘firsts’ as in first day of school, first kiss, first job and so on however as we age and gain experience, there are far fewer ‘firsts’ of anything. Others who have studied this perception have come to the similar conclusion that as our days become more routine time flattens out and, without events to highlight time, we believe it is passing more quickly.

A more obvious observation is that for a child who is five, one year is 20% of their life and their memory doesn’t extend across all five of those years while for a 50 year old, one year is a mere 2% of their life and as we age many of us will forget more than we remember about the minutiae of our life experiences. Those who have retired may view one day as melting into the next without the routines of work to separate one day from another at the very least.

Young children looking forward to an event such as a birthday or Christmas are counting the days until that all important event. Adults, on the other hand, are preparing for events with lists, shopping, cooking and invitations mixed in with work, stress, family obligations, getting the bills paid and making sure everyone gets to their classes and activities on time. For the child, the days leading up to that one event may go by ever so slowly while the parent may complain about the day not having nearly enough hours.

What’s the solution? Studies have shown that when we look back on a weekend filled with activities we feel that the hours have stretched and time has gone more slowly. It seems logical, then, that the more firsts and experiences we can include in our lives, the slower time will seem to pass. Routine is necessarily a part of our adult lives but make sure to make plans to break those routines and experience new things. It doesn’t have to be as expensive as an impulsive trip to some exotic location although that would certainly qualify! A walk through a new art gallery, a meal at a new restaurant or a new exercise routine will provide time markers just as surely as a weekend getaway to that B&B you’ve been wanting to try or bungee jumping from the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas. Give yourself the gift of a new experience and slow time down just a little bit.