Neuroscience explains why time feels faster as we age

Research in neuroscience indicates that the brain’s processing of new information slows as we get older. In childhood and youth, frequent novel stimuli require intensive neural encoding, creating many detailed memories that stretch perceived duration. As adulthood brings more routine and fewer unprecedented experiences, the brain operates in an energy‑saving “pilot‑auto” mode, forming fewer distinct memories.

Because the brain judges the length of past periods by the number of memorable landmarks, long stretches with few salient events are compressed in memory. This compression, combined with reduced attention to everyday details, leads many adults to feel that years pass more quickly than they did in youth.