Why time speeds up as we get older (my hypothesis)


Image from https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/time.htm


Why time speeds up as we get older (my hypothesis)

by Jen Davies, nerd

September 30 October 6, 2026

It was a week last week.


Take a moment and reflect on the endless summer days of your childhood. Every day, every hour, every  minute held something that was a little bit new, not so practiced, somewhat unfamiliar. The moments are intense and they hold onto our attention.

Now reflect on today: there isn't a lot new every day. Maybe a few moments. Not a lot gets our attention. We are better are directing our attention to tasks we have chosen to do, but that doesn't mean those tasks capture us. The intensity is missing.

(There's a whole conversation on the concept of Flow to be had here, which I'm going to skip but I believe it would bolster my hypothesis. You can watch Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's TED talk and decide for yourself.)

And there you have my theory in a nutshell, on why it feels like time speeds up when we get older. The moments have less intensity.

I have further evidence for you. You can lose hours to scrolling social media on your phone, right? Scrolling is the opposite of something capturing your attention. Where did my evening go? But you might go to an event like a wedding or a birthday celebration and feel like hardly any time as passed between moments - it's only 9 o'clock? 

On the topic of intensity, I'm not sure my posts will be weekly through October and November. My workload is intense, and there's no such thing as overtime when you're a professor! Stuff just has to get done. But I'll get a few done.


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