Why does time seem to speed up as we age?

Question

Accepted Answer

The Proportional Theory

One prevailing explanation for this phenomenon is the proportional theory. As individuals grow older, each passing year represents a smaller fraction of the total life lived. For a five-year-old, one year is twenty percent of their entire existence, whereas for a fifty-year-old, it is merely two percent. This cognitive scaling creates the sensation that time accelerates.

The Role of Novelty and Memory

Beyond simple proportions, the brain’s encoding process plays a pivotal role:

Novelty: In childhood, almost every experience is new, triggering heightened brain activity and dense memory creation.
 Routine: As people age, life often settles into repetitive patterns. The brain stops recording these routine events in detail, leading to the perception of 'lost time.'

By intentionally seeking out new hobbies, travel, or complex skills, individuals can effectively 'slow down' their internal clock. When the brain is forced to process complex, unfamiliar information, it encodes more details per interval, resulting in a richer, longer-feeling subjective experience of reality.