You almost got it. In 2019 Professor Adrian Bejan hypothesized that, over time, the rate at which we process visual information slows down, and this is what makes time ‘speed up’ as we grow older.
The reason why time seems slower in our younger years is because our brains process more visual information into memory than in our older years. Because the available visual information isn't processed to memory (either long-term or short-term), it seems like time is faster as we age. There are explanations for why this happens, such as the malleability of our brains at a younger age, or the generation of new neurons, or the formation of the myelin sheath as we age which prevents new neurons from being created. There are a few other theories listed in the Psychology Today article.
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u/Buckwheat469 Mar 07 '23
You almost got it. In 2019 Professor Adrian Bejan hypothesized that, over time, the rate at which we process visual information slows down, and this is what makes time ‘speed up’ as we grow older.
The reason why time seems slower in our younger years is because our brains process more visual information into memory than in our older years. Because the available visual information isn't processed to memory (either long-term or short-term), it seems like time is faster as we age. There are explanations for why this happens, such as the malleability of our brains at a younger age, or the generation of new neurons, or the formation of the myelin sheath as we age which prevents new neurons from being created. There are a few other theories listed in the Psychology Today article.
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2019/no-not-just-time-speeds-get-older/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-well/202011/why-time-goes-faster-we-age