Scientists reveal why time seems to speed up as we age
- As most adults get older, they have said, “Time flies.”
- Scientists said this is likely because there are fewer experiences to think about
- READ MORE: Mental performance doesn’t start to decline until your 60s, study suggests
The saying “time flies” seems to become more and more of a reality as we get older.
One moment you are a carefree child, and then, in the blink of an eye, you are an adult with many responsibilities.
And while scientists have yet to find an answer to the question of why our lives seem to pass us by, they have formulated a theory.
Cindy Lustig, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, told DailyMail.com: “One is that as we get older, we tend to structure our lives more around routines and experience fewer of the big milestones that we are used to.” demarcate different eras of the “time of our lives”.
While scientists have yet to find an answer to why our lives seem to pass us by, they have formulated a theory
Lustig added that as children we have fewer experiences to reflect on.
For a five-year-old, a year full of experiences discovering the world around him is 20 percent of his life.
However, the same period of time is only two percent of a The life of a 50-year-old, which probably offers fewer new experiences.
Lustig explained that our brains combine similar days and weeks, making it seem like everything is merging together.
People measure time by memorable events. As you get older, these become increasingly rare.
This is why most people can remember something they have done once, rather than having done it hundreds of times.
An expert told DailyMail.com that as children we have fewer experiences to reflect on. This means our brain combines similar days and weeks, making it seem like everything is merging together
Another theory circulating in the scientific community comes from Adrian Bejan of Duke University and suggests that the passing of time is due to an aging brain.
Bejan published his research in 2019 that says our perception of life experiences may become distorted as we age, and our brains need more time to process new mental images.
Earlier in life, however, the brain can absorb new information in “rapid fire,” allowing it to process more in the same period of time – making the days seem to last much longer than they might later.
According to Bejan, the physical changes in our nerves and neurons play a large role in our perception of time as we age.
Over the years, these structures become more complex and eventually deteriorate, increasing resistance to the electrical signals received.
According to the researcher’s hypothesis, the deterioration of these important neurological features leads to a decrease in the speed at which we acquire and process new information.
Toddlers, for example, move their eyes much more often than adults because they process images more quickly, Bejan said.
For older people, this means fewer images are processed in the same amount of time, giving the impression that experiences happen more quickly.
However, Lustig told DailyMail.com that Bejan’s research doesn’t add up.
“He argues optic nerve length in relation to head size, and I’ll let you judge whether an 80-year-old has a significantly larger head than a 25-year-old,” she said.
“There are other problems with his perspective, but that probably makes the point.”