Why Time Speeds Up as You Get Older

The Illusion of Slow-Motion Time00:01:16

Neuroscientist David Eagleman addresses the common perception that time slows down during life-threatening events. Contrary to popular belief, experiments involving free-falling volunteers show that people do not actually experience events in slow motion. Instead, the brain captures a massive amount of detailed memory during high-stress situations, leading to the retrospective impression that more time must have elapsed.

Memory and Duration00:03:33

The experience of time duration is heavily dependent on how much information we store in our memory. Using the example of a cross-country road trip, Eagleman explains that encountering many new, novel experiences forces the brain to store more data, which makes the interval feel longer than it actually was when looking back on it.

Why Time Seems to Speed Up with Age00:05:23

As we grow older, time appears to accelerate because we encounter fewer novel experiences. Children perceive time as passing slowly because the world is entirely new, leading to high memory storage. As adults, our internal models of the world are more established, resulting in fewer new memories being stored and the feeling that time is moving faster.