Where Did the Time Go?

The American psychologist William James famously said, “the same space of time seems shorter as we grow older” (James 1890, 625). But a day is still 24 hours, so why does time seem to speed up as we grow older? Time is something that is measured by a clock, remains constant, and is used universally. The day that felt like forever to reach the next when we were children now seem to pass in the blink of an eye. This has to do with how our brain functions. Although time itself does not actually move faster as we age, the passing of time may feel faster, and the most well-known theory to explain this is through routine and memory theory.

The way we live repetitive lives may influence the speed at which we feel time passes. Research has been conducted with four experiments and two field studies examining how routine affects people’s perception of time. The research was to compare how people remembered time spent in routine versus non-routine situations. In the experiments, routine was created by repeating the same patterns, tasks, or blocks, while the field studies examined people on vacation. Through this experiment participants generally remembered routine periods as shorter than equally long non-routine periods. As a result, research suggested that the brain stores new experiences much more richly than it does of routine experiences. This is because the brain is already aware of is familiar with events happening in the routine, so they do not use much of their energy to storing them. This is why our memory of a childhood is so vivid and memorable, while years filled with repetitive routines seem to pass quickly when looking back (Avni-Babad & Ritov, 2003).

This becomes even more noticeable with age as childhood tends to contain many first and novel experiences. Over time, this turns into a routine and can occupy a larger part of everyday life. For example, people have hard time remembering what they had for lunch as eating is constantly repeated. However, there may be a way to make time feel slower. By getting out of repetitive routines and trying new experiences. David R. Hamilton explains that novel experiences are encoded more richly than familiar experiences, which can make these experiences stand out more in memory. Therefore, breaking out of routines may make a period of time feel longer when looking back. (Hamilton, 2022).

In short, time itself does not speed up with older age. Repetitive routine affects how our brain stores the experience. By increasing the routine as we get older by repeating going to school or work people get familiar with their lives and the brain saves energy in storing them, resulting in distinctive memories. Maybe time does not become faster as we grow older, instead, our lives become too familiar and there are only fewer moments to remember.

References:

David R. Hamilton, “Why Time Speeds Up as You Age,” David R Hamilton PhD, March 17, 2022, https://drdavidhamilton.com/why-time-speeds-up-as-you-age/

Dinah Avni-Babad and Ilana Ritov, “Routine and the Perception of Time,” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 132, no. 4 (2003): 543–550, https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-3445.132.4.543

William James, The Principles of Psychology, vol. 1 (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1890), 625, https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/James/Principles/prin15.htm