Why Time Flies Faster With Age (and How To Slow It Down)

Above, at Tombstone's Crystal Palace Saloon back in April.

The other day, Larry Lucier and I were musing about how fast this year has gone. I mentioned that it is hard to believe that the clampout in Tombstone, Arizona I attended was way back in April and here we are already in October.

We mentioned that it is said that time seems to go by faster as we get older.

Obviously, we weren't the only ones thinking such. It has been the subject of studies, including some of different age groups. The old saying, "Time flies when you're having fun" actually has some validity.

WebMD has an article on this that should pique one's interest. 

It begins with:

April 18, 2023 – Time can feel like a roll of toilet paper – it unrolls faster and faster the closer you get to the end. 

Psychologists and social scientists know this -- that time goes faster as we age -- but why is that so? 

It's not just an academic inquiry. Our time perception has real effects on our mental health. The feeling of time going faster is linked to anxiety, while slowing time down – through mindfulness, for example – can help us feel less stressed and more relaxed. 

The topic has drawn particular attention lately, thanks to the pandemic, when many people – more than 80%, according to a recent U.K. survey – felt time moved differently during lockdown. 

But scientists are still unraveling the mysteries of time perception. Some say it’s related to how long we have lived – a 5-year-old feels a year is long because it makes up 20% of their life. Others point to changes in the brain. A 2019 research paper suggests our ability to process visual information slows with age; we perceive fewer mental images, and time feels like it’s speeding up.

To read more (if one wants to take the time to do so), go here.