Quote:
Originally Posted by DMACM
I figured this would be because your neuron speed drops as you age. Objectively time would slow down for this reason. By the same token that the world would seem to freeze if your neurons were greatly sped.
This could be true, but as you age you can still easily estimate how long a minute is. It doesn't seem like the world is speeding up at all. In other words, it isn't the minutes and seconds that seem to speed up, it is the years seem to have somehow gone by too fast.
Things that effect perception of time:
1. Whether you are enjoying yourself. Enjoyment and novelty speeds up the perception of time, negative emotions slow it down. Think of a nice hour long drive versus an hour long commute in stop and go traffic. Interestingly, this works in reverse. Tell someone a non-enjoyable task took more time than it actually did, and they will think it was more enjoyable.
2. Consolidation of memories makes the past seem like it went by quickly. I had a job where every day was, for the most part, the same. I was surprised when my first year anniversary came. If I drew a timeline for that year, it would have the first week of learning the job, doing the job for the next 51 weeks as one data point, and my anniversary day. At my current job, I have never had two days that are alike. If I drew a timeline for this job, I would have tons of distinct data points. So, it seems like I have been there longer than I have when I look back.
It gets very interesting (at least to me) when you combine 1. and 2.
Keeping with the jobs, in the first (boring) job, each hour dragged on and on, but the year seems to have somehow flew by. In my current job, each hour flies by, but, looking back, I can't believe I have only been there for 8 months.