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time perception
Time perception changes as you get older.
Research indicates that your sense of how fast time passes is linked to how much new information you encode; as encoding slows, time feels like it accelerates.
When you are young, your brain processes novel information rapidly, creating a dense network of memories that makes time feel expansive. In adulthood, routines decrease the volume of new experiences, causing the brain to 'compress' these periods in retrospect.
A monotonous life makes years feel like minutes.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Wittmann, 2015, Felt Time
- What the check found
- This is a well-established psychological concept known as the 'Holiday Paradox.' While the source is correct and the theory is widely accepted, it describes retrospective time estimation, not prospective timing.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.