What If Time Feels Faster As We Age? Exploring the Psychology of Perception

Alex: Hey everyone, and welcome back to Curiopod, where we dive deep into the curious corners of our minds and the world around us. Today, we're tackling a question many of us ponder as we get older: why does time seem to speed up as we age? Is it just a feeling, or is there something more profound going on in our brains? Reese: That's a fantastic question, Alex. It's something I think almost everyone experiences. That sense that a year flies by in what feels like a blink of an eye, especially compared to childhood. It's a really common human experience, and there are several fascinating psychological and even biological explanations for it. Alex: So, it's not just us being dramatic? You know, you hit a certain age and suddenly holidays are a month away, then suddenly they're over. It's wild. Reese: Exactly. The core of it lies in how our brains perceive and process time, and that processing changes as we accumulate more experiences and our internal biological clocks shift. One of the primary theories is the 'proportionality theory'. Alex: Proportionality theory? That sounds intriguing. How does that work? Reese: Well, think about it from a child's perspective. For a five-year-old, one year represents 20% of their entire life. That's a huge chunk! For a 50-year-old, one year is only 2% of their life. So, relatively speaking, each year becomes a smaller and smaller fraction of our total lived experience. This makes time *feel* shorter because it occupies a less significant proportion of our memory bank. Alex: Oh, wow. That makes a lot of sense. So, it's about the ratio of the new time to the old time experienced. That's a really neat way to look at it. Reese: It is. And it’s not just the proportion of life, but also the novelty of experiences. When we're young, everything is new. Learning to walk, starting school, first love – these are all significant, novel events that create strong memories. Our brains are actively encoding a lot of new information. As we age, our lives often become more routine. We go to work, come home, repeat. There are fewer 'firsts' to etch into our memory. Alex: Hmm, routine. Yeah, that’s definitely a factor. My weekdays can blur together sometimes. So, fewer novel experiences mean fewer distinct memory markers, and when you look back, it seems like less happened, hence faster? Reese: Precisely. Think of your memory as a collection of distinct events. If you have many distinct events, your timeline feels longer and richer. If your timeline is filled with repetitive, similar events, the gaps between those distinct memories feel shorter when you look back. Alex: That's a really helpful analogy. So, it's like looking at a photo album. If every photo is of the same scene, it feels like a shorter trip than if each photo captures a different landmark. Reese: Exactly. Another aspect is the biological side, related to our internal clock. Some researchers suggest that as we age, our internal biological clock, which regulates various bodily functions including our sense of time, might actually slow down relative to external clock time. If our internal clock ticks slower, then the external world, moving at its usual pace, would appear to be speeding up. Alex: A slower internal clock making the world seem faster? That's a mind-bender. It’s like our perception of speed is out of sync with reality. Reese: It can feel that way. There’s also the role of attention. When we're children, we tend to pay more attention to the passage of time, especially waiting for something exciting. As adults, we're often multi-tasking, our attention is fragmented, and we're less focused on the continuous flow of time itself. Alex: That's so true! I'm often trying to juggle work emails, family stuff, and what's for dinner, all at once. I'm not exactly sitting there counting the seconds until bedtime. Reese: Right. And studies have looked at this by having people estimate time under different conditions. When our attention is divided or focused elsewhere, our perception of duration can be distorted. Alex: Are there any common misconceptions about this phenomenon? Reese: A big one is that it's purely a matter of getting bored as you get older. While routine and lack of novelty contribute, it's not just about being bored. It’s about how our memory systems and internal timing mechanisms are wired and how they evolve. Another misconception is that it's a sign of cognitive decline. For the most part, this feeling of time speeding up is a normal aspect of aging and memory formation, not a pathology. Alex: That's reassuring to know. It's easy to worry that something's 'wrong' when you notice these changes. So, if it's about novelty and memory, can we actually do anything to slow down our perception of time? Reese: That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? The good news is, yes, we can actively influence our perception. One of the most effective strategies is to deliberately seek out new experiences. Traveling to new places, learning a new skill, even taking a different route to work can create those distinct memory markers. It’s about making our lives richer and more varied from a memory-encoding perspective. Alex: So, basically, shake things up! Try something unexpected. That's actually pretty empowering. It means we have some agency in how we experience time. Reese: Exactly. Engaging in activities that require focused attention, like mindfulness or a challenging hobby, can also help. When you're fully present, time can feel more expansive. And sometimes, just reflecting on memories and appreciating the richness of your past can create a stronger sense of temporal depth. Alex: That's fascinating. So, it's not just about living more, but about experiencing and remembering more vividly. I love that. Any surprising or fun facts about time perception? Reese: Well, here’s a curious one: studies have shown that people who engage in more retrospective time estimation – that is, looking back on a period and judging how long it felt – tend to perceive time as passing faster than those who focus more on prospective time estimation, or judging duration as it happens. It’s a subtle but interesting difference in how we frame our temporal experience. Alex: Wow, so just the act of *thinking* about how fast time is going can make it feel faster? That’s almost meta. Reese: It can be! Our perception is such a malleable construct. It’s influenced by so many internal and external factors. The key takeaway is that while time itself marches on at a constant rate, our subjective experience of it is wonderfully complex and can be influenced. Alex: This has been so insightful, Reese. We've covered the proportionality theory, the role of novelty and routine, biological clocks, and even how our attention plays a part. And the idea that we can actively inject more novelty to create richer memories and slow down our perception of time is a great takeaway. Reese: It really is. It’s about being intentional with how we fill our lives, not just with activities, but with unique experiences that become indelible memories. Alex: So, to recap: time feels faster as we age primarily because each year becomes a smaller proportion of our total life, and our lives often become more routine, leading to fewer novel experiences that create strong memories. Biological clock changes and shifts in attention also play a role. Misconceptions include thinking it's just boredom or a sign of decline. To counteract it, we can actively seek novelty, practice mindfulness, and focus on making experiences memorable. Reese: That's a perfect summary, Alex. Our perception of time is a rich tapestry woven from experience, memory, and our internal state. Alex: Alright, I think that's a wrap. I hope you learned something new today and your curiosity has been quenched.