Why time feels faster as we age A brain-based illusion

“Time flies” may be a cliché, but science is increasingly confirming just how true it feels—especially as we age. In a richly detailed article by Earth.com staff writer Eric Ralls, readers are taken on a fascinating journey through the neuroscience of time perception. The piece draws on recent psychological research and brain science to explain why our days seem to blur and years accelerate as we get older.

At the heart of the phenomenon is novelty. Ralls explains that children experience time as moving more slowly because their days are filled with “firsts”—first friendships, first lessons, first adventures. These new experiences activate the brain’s memory systems, tagging moments as significant and creating a dense record of events. The more novel moments a person experiences, the more memory “snapshots” the brain stores, stretching the subjective feeling of time.

In contrast, adults tend to operate on autopilot, locked into routines with far fewer new experiences. As a result, their brains record fewer distinct moments. This results in days that feel shorter in hindsight—like flipping through a highlight reel instead of watching a full-length film.

Psychologist Marc Wittmann, cited in the article, emphasises the link between memory formation and time perception. When life is rich in stimuli, the brain flags and files more memories. When it isn’t, time contracts. This is also why holidays or novel experiences—like travel—tend to feel longer and more vivid in memory.

Ralls also explores how aging affects brain function itself. As we grow older, our neural processing slows down, reducing the number of perceptual “ticks” our brains register per second. This slower sampling rate makes events seem to pass more quickly. Eye movement patterns—fewer fixations per minute in older or tired individuals—mirror this decline, contributing to a sense of accelerated time.

Modern life compounds the issue. Sleep deprivation, digital overload, and passive screen time, particularly on social media, blur the boundaries of experience. Social feeds mimic novelty but deliver repetitive content that fails to generate strong memory traces. Combined with blue light’s impact on sleep, the result is both cognitive fatigue and a sense that time has disappeared.

The article ends on an optimistic note. Ralls highlights that while we can’t stop time, we can reshape our perception of it. Reintroducing novelty—through small, intentional changes like new walking routes, learning new skills, or simply observing unfamiliar details—can enrich memory formation and slow the subjective pace of life. Even brief moments of curiosity and awareness can add pages to the mental “flipbook” that constructs our experience of time.

In short, Earth.com’s feature offers both a scientific explanation and a gentle prescription: to make time feel fuller and slower, we must engage more deeply with the world around us. It’s not the clock that’s speeding up—it’s our attention that’s drifting away. The solution lies in staying curious.

By Vugar Khalilov