Time Perception: Why Does It Feel Faster as We Age?

Author: Sadan

Time seems to move quickly, come to a standstill, or slow down at various points throughout our everyday lives. It tends to race ahead as we age, while we perceive it as dragging when we are younger. 

What causes this phenomenon? 

The reason lies in the connection between how we process information and our perception of time. 

As children, we encounter new experiences and events almost daily, which makes time feel more expansive. In contrast, as we get older, we tend to have fewer novel experiences and activities, leading to a perception that time goes by more quickly. This experience of time perception is linked to how we process information. 

When we encounter fresh information, time appears to slow down. 

Engaging in new activities stimulates information processing in our brains, giving the impression that time is halting or moving slowly. However, if these activities become routine, our brains stop processing new information in the same way, which is why time feels like it speeds up as we age. 

This concept can be illustrated through an experiment: if you watch a new film or take part in a cricket match, you might perceive time as moving slowly due to the suspense or the novelty of the experience. Watching the same film again will likely make time feel like it moves faster. 

Similarly, as you continue to age, your experience of time can feel increasingly accelerated. The older you get, the smaller the proportion of your life you have lived in the last year appears to be.