The older we get, the faster time seems to pass. Scientists have the explanations and even a way to get rid of the problem.
The more the years go by, the faster it seems. During childhood, time seemed longer than in adulthood. In a study published in European ReviewAdrian Bejan, professor of mechanical engineering, explains that we all perceive it differently, measurable time not being the same as that “perceived by the human mind”. If you spend an hour cleaning, it will probably seem longer than if you spend an hour with friends. This being said, the specialist goes further and gives different explanations for this correlation between age and time.
First of all, there is a neurological phenomenon that comes into play. With age, “the brain receives fewer images than what it was trained for when it was young,” explained Adrian Bejan. The network of nerves and neurons grows and becomes more complex, leading to a slower circulation of information. The brain then records fewer mental images, adding to greater slowness in processing them. So time seems to pass faster.
“People are often amazed at how well they remember the days that seemed to last forever in their youth. It’s not that their experiences were much deeper or more meaningful, it’s just that they were processed at high speed,” he said.
According to Adrian Bejan, the routine and habits that come with age also accelerate the relationship with time, while children are much more into learning and renewal. The feeling of familiarity increases with age: after 20 years, the body produces less dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is activated when faced with new experiences.
The specialist then advises to “force yourself to do new things”. “Give yourself surprises. Do unusual things,” he insists. With age, we also tend to underestimate the date of past events. Have you ever been surprised when seeing someone you knew about how much time had passed since you last met?
Moreover, when we are little, a year represents a large part of our life, much more than when we are adults and many years are behind us. This theory was illustrated by Christian Yates, lecturer in mathematical biology at the University of Bath, in The Conversation : “Which means that the years lived between the ages of 5 and 10 seem as long to you as the years that separate your 40s from your 80s.” Which is “a little depressing”, as the specialist concedes.