Why Time Seems To Go By Faster As We Get Older

Do you ever find yourself wondering why time seems to go by faster as we get older? If you answered yes then you are not alone my friend. This feeling initially occurred to me a few years ago but I brushed it off as

a crazy thought. Then one day I mentioned it to my mom and her response wasn’t too comforting. “Time starts to go by faster the older you get…” Not what I wanted to hear. Although it was a bit comforting knowing that I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. And oddly enough, the more people I spoke to about it all seemed to feel the same.

Year over year the days seem to pass by quicker. Hours turn into days, days start blending into weeks, and next thing you know you’re digging out the Christmas ornaments even though you swear the new year started just a few months ago. The years seemingly go by faster each year.

Through various research, multiple article reads, and in speaking to people, it seems as though this phenomenon really does exist. But it’s not what you think. Time isn’t speeding up. But rather, our perception of time changes with age. For instance have you ever wondered why the drive back from somewhere far away seems shorter on the way back? This is another example of the same phenomenon.

From the time we are born our brain interprets and “records” new experiences. As a child, most experiences are new therefore the brain is constantly learning from those experiences. With age, we begin to repeat similar or even the same experiences on a regular basis ie daily routine. After years of processing similar events, the brain no longer recognizes them as “new” or separate learning experiences, but rather “groups” those similar experiences as all being one and the same. Let’s say you do yoga three times a week. After a few weeks of this same routine, the brain will store those memories as “one large yoga class” instead of let’s say 30 different yoga class experiences. In turn, this creates the perception that time is going by quickly.

So what it is, and what do we do about it?

The same thing happens on the drive home from a new place. During the initial drive the scenery and landscapes are new, and because the brain is taking all of this in, time appears to slow down. During the drive back, after you’ve become familiar with the sights it is no longer a new experience and hence the brain almost “disregards” the monotony.

While we are learning new things and the brain is learning from them the time perception is in real time! So therefore, the more repetive things or same experiences you have, time will appear to be moving by faster. And because we fall into routine more and more as we age this is why time seems to go by faster as we get older.

Now I know what you’re thinking – there’s not too much we can do about daily routines like going to work or school so how can I ever make time slow down. Well there are a few things you can do to make time seem to go by slower and make the days feel longer.

Tips On How To Slow Down Our Perception of Time

Try to learn something new every day. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Whenever the brain registers a new activity or is learning something new then that experience won’t get chalked up as just another same old whatever. And the time to do the activity won’t seemingly go by as fast.

Alter your routine. For instance, try taking a different way to work. Change the time or place you have your regular coffee break at. Talk to different people. Just try and do something different every day so as not to repeat the same “daily” routine.

Understanding how the brain interprets repetetiveness has helped me to manage my perception of time better. Whenever I feel like time starts spinning out of control I regroup and attempt to alter the norm. And you know what, most times it works. Whenever I simply can’t modify my day then at least I have an understanding of why time seems to go by faster as we age. I realize and accept that it’s only my perception of time, and not time itself, that is actually speeding up. It’s all just an illusion.

xo