Does Time Pass Quicker as We Age?

If you are of a certain age, I am fairly sure you will answer a resounding “Yes” to the above question. I have felt time is passing quickly for a number of years now, and most of the people I talk to agree with the title. If you think back to your childhood, time really did seem to run slower. The six-week holiday from school in the summer felt as though it lasted forever. Each day did not seem long enough to do everything we wanted to do.

But now, the days and weeks appear to fly by, and the years just keep counting up, and you literally wonder where the time has gone. Eventually, you may begin to consider where your life has gone. Why? Is it just an illusion? (That could be a song title one day). Believe it or not, scientists have been seriously researching why this perception of time feels so strong.

Time as measured by our Earth-bound atomic clocks does not speed up or slow down. This is not the time to get into Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. So, it is our perception of time which is the cause. Our “inner clock” is at fault. So, can anything be done to slow down our inner clock and perception of time?

Scientists have come up with several solutions which will slow down our perception of time. When we are young, every day can be a new experience. Different scenarios are encountered on a regular basis. However, as we age, we encounter fewer new things. Our days may become routine. We go to work, do the same thing, meet the same people, go home and spend the evening as we did the day before and probably the next day as well. This endless, similar chain of events all help to increase our perception of the passage of time.

Can we do anything to change this perception? Researchers say we can, and it involves placing new experiences in our lives. I am not saying your life is boring, but it is predictable, and that is not great. Do new things. Join a club. Learn a new skill. Go somewhere you have not been before. If you are able, then travel. As they say, travel broadens the mind.

It is all about stimulating your brain. If you are not able to undertake many physical activities, do not worry. Such exercises as mindfulness and yoga can slow time up. Even drinking a cup of tea in silence can begin to alter your perception of time. So, do not hang about, time waits for no one.