# Does time go faster as you age or happy?



## RandomDude (Dec 18, 2010)

I still remember as a kid, a year was like a lifetime. Nowadays, and especially _nowadays_, a year ago feels like just yesterday. Is it age? A friend mentioned that it's because I'm happy and time flies when you're happy - if that is so, that is horrible! It should be the other way 'round!  Bah!

Thoughts? I am impatient by nature and although I've taken steps to channel that vice into efficiency, the thought of suddenly waking up and realising it's been four-five years or something frightens me. Heck, it's already happened!


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

RandomDude said:


> I still remember as a kid, a year was like a lifetime. Nowadays, and especially _nowadays_, a year ago feels like just yesterday. Is it age? A friend mentioned that it's because I'm happy and time flies when you're happy - if that is so, that is horrible! It should be the other way 'round! <a href="http://talkaboutmarriage.com/images/smilies/mad.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Mad" ></a> Bah!
> 
> Thoughts? I am impatient by nature and although I've taken steps to channel that vice into efficiency, the thought of suddenly waking up and realising it's been four-five years or something frightens me. Heck, it's already happened!


This is a subject that interests me. Im50, and to answer your question, yes, Times seems to fly by for me. I have even done some research and believe one thing is just our perception of time. 

When we are 10, we only have a few years of life under our belt that we remember. Ten or fifteen years in the past is longer than we have been alive and seems like forever ago. The mention of something that happened 30 years ago may as well have been in the days of Lincoln. 

At age 50, I can distinctly recall things that happened 10, 20, or 30 years ago. It doesn’t seem so far away. It took me forever to reach age 18, so I thought 50 was unimaginable, but here I am.

I believe another reason is that as a youth, life and our surroundings are new. New phases of life seem to come faster like the next grade in school, middle to high, prom, license, etc. 

I believe we pay more attention when we are younger. Things are new, fascinating, and changing. After we get older and we’ve driven the same road to work for 15 or 20 years, it all seems to run together and isn’t quite as fascinating, so we just coast along and the next thing one knows, several years have passed.


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## Fozzy (Jul 20, 2013)

It's age.

When you're 5 years old, a year represents 1/5 of your life (more really since that first year or so you're a dribbling nitwit). When you're 40 a year represents 1/40 of your life. Therefore your brain perceives a year as less of a "thing" when you're 40 than when you're 5.

Plus you're a lot busier.


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## brooklynAnn (Jun 29, 2015)

I remembered when i was a kid Christmas took forever to come. Nowadays i turn around and its Dec. Time is flying thsese days. And yes i am quite happy...kids are older and dont need me. Just h and myself. All i have to do is not think if MIL. 😂


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## Slow Hand (Oct 4, 2015)

I’m not so sure it’s age. I’ve spoken to my kids and other people who are mid twenties and they agree, time is flying by. I think it might be the fact that we stay busier and distracted, more now than we did before, with the advent of electronics and social media. Either way, wow, it’s already the end of the month again, we’re already a quarter through the new year. 🤔


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## arbitrator (Feb 13, 2012)

RandomDude said:


> I still remember as a kid, a year was like a lifetime. Nowadays, and especially _nowadays_, a year ago feels like just yesterday. Is it age? A friend mentioned that it's because I'm happy and time flies when you're happy - if that is so, that is horrible! It should be the other way 'round!  Bah!
> 
> Thoughts? I am impatient by nature and although I've taken steps to channel that vice into efficiency, the thought of suddenly waking up and realising it's been four-five years or something frightens me. Heck, it's already happened!


*Hell Yes, Random ~ it's no state secret as it's definitely an aging factor! You hit the nail squarely on the head!

Mathusala happened to be two years my senior in my collegiate fraternity and I remember him expressing the same damned sentiments years ago! 

What the hell else could it be?*


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## Betrayedone (Jan 1, 2014)

The closer you get to the finish line the faster time goes by..........Life 101.......Drop the mic.......Next subject.......


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## RandomDude (Dec 18, 2010)

Argh... life is so short! That's depressing >.<


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## Kate-Delv (Mar 30, 2018)

It seems to slow down with age ive found (37) but definitely when I'm happy time goes a lot faster


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## Thor (Oct 31, 2011)

I think it is as already mentioned but also has to do with our focus. As a kid, all I cared about was what was happening right now. Lunch was not even in my mind when I'd go out the door to play or go to school. As an adult, we are thinking about all kinds of things in the future, including do I have groceries for meals today. Are there bills to be paid in the next few days? Tomorrow when the weather is good I have to wash the car. Vacation plans need to be solidified. And I need to buy some birthday gifts for the grandchildren.

One of the allures of hobbies is it brings our focus to the moment. Whether it is some kind of craft, sport, or music it will force us to be in the present moment.

Time still goes slowly when I'm at band practice or an open mic. On vacation time is wonderfully slow until I start thinking about how few days are left before returning home.


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## Bibi1031 (Sep 14, 2015)

It definitely goes faster as you get older. I remember I couldn`t wait to turn 18 and be off to college and on my own with no curfew LOL. 

It took forever for 18 to come around, but once it did; time just flies by now. The sad truth is that now that I am 53, I can`t stay awake after 10! I miss the days I could go out til 2:00 am and then get up at 7:00 to go to work the next day and catch up on sleep over the weekend that I could sleep in.


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## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

As the Frog said . . . .

Time's sure fun, when your having flies.


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

Kate-Delv said:


> It seems to slow down with age ive found (37) but definitely when I'm happy time goes a lot faster


Seriously? So, you are saying that time actually seems to go by slower as you age?


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## Kate-Delv (Mar 30, 2018)

southbound said:


> Seriously? So, you are saying that time actually seems to go by slower as you age?


Honestly yes to me. My childhood went fast and then my 20s flew past. I guess because you're having so much fun and everything is new and exciting

Im not old and im not bored with life! But it doesn't go by as fast as it used to but maybe thats just me?


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

Kate-Delv said:


> southbound said:
> 
> 
> > Seriously? So, you are saying that time actually seems to go by slower as you age?
> ...


I certainly can’t argue with how you feel. I do believe you’re the only person I’ve ever heard say that time presses slower as they age. Interesting!


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## inging (Dec 11, 2016)

At 50 I am just about clearing the back of the fridge from last Christmas and it is time to get out the decorations again


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## Kate-Delv (Mar 30, 2018)

southbound said:


> I certainly can’t argue with how you feel. I do believe you’re the only person I’ve ever heard say that time presses slower as they age. Interesting!


You just made me think of something. Im going to a lady i know who is 85 years old if time is going slower or faster for her. Im close with her and id now love to know if im alone in this thought haha


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## RandomDude (Dec 18, 2010)

Thor said:


> I think it is as already mentioned but also has to do with our focus. As a kid, all I cared about was what was happening right now. Lunch was not even in my mind when I'd go out the door to play or go to school. As an adult, we are thinking about all kinds of things in the future, including do I have groceries for meals today. Are there bills to be paid in the next few days? Tomorrow when the weather is good I have to wash the car. Vacation plans need to be solidified. And I need to buy some birthday gifts for the grandchildren.
> 
> One of the allures of hobbies is it brings our focus to the moment. Whether it is some kind of craft, sport, or music it will force us to be in the present moment.
> 
> Time still goes slowly when I'm at band practice or an open mic. On vacation time is wonderfully slow until I start thinking about how few days are left before returning home.


Really? I found with hobbies, I tend to have so much fun that before I know it it's over. Like when I'm in the air during hang gliding, or dancing 'till morning.

Then again... time seemed to be slow when I recently went scuba, but then again I have a fear of the deep sea so wasn't having that much fun lol



Kate-Delv said:


> Honestly yes to me. My childhood went fast and then my 20s flew past. I guess because you're having so much fun and everything is new and exciting
> 
> Im not old and im not bored with life! But it doesn't go by as fast as it used to but maybe thats just me?


Wait what? You have mastered time itself! Teach me! lol

The only way I found to slow down time was to stare at the clock!


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

I just thought of a great quote that a co-worker said a couple of years ago. He was talking about work, and he said, "The days go by slowly, but the years pass quickly."
I thought that was a great explanation. For me it's the long periods that go by quickly, but there may be some slow parts as I go along. For example, I may be sitting in a boring training and think, "Is this day ever going to end?" Or perhaps I'm working on something I'm not too excited about for a week. It may seem like the week drags by. When I look back, however, it seems like the time goes quickly. If I have to do that same boring task the same time next year, I will probably think, "Gee, has it already been a year since I did that before; it seems like yesterday." I sometimes look back and wonder when something happened, and it's always farther in the past than it seems. I will think, "When did Joe start working here?" "It's probably been 3 or 4 years. When I find out the true time, it's probably been 8 or 10 years.


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## kag123 (Feb 6, 2012)

I think time goes way too fast. Since we've had kids, especially. I want to stop time and enjoy my kids at the ages they are... watching little people grow up really puts into perspective how fast time goes. Sometimes I look at them when they first wake up in the morning and swear they've changed just from the night before when I saw them before bed. 

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## Betrayedone (Jan 1, 2014)

The closer you get to the finish line the faster time goes by. Take that to the bank. It's scary.


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

I suppose part of this is that at some point in our life we got the idea that a lifetime was a long time. As most of us have stated, it was in our childhood that time seemed to pass more slowly. That was our first concept of time, so we thought that was normal. Maybe that idea we formed as a youth is the real misconception and we are introduced to reality as we age.


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## WilliamM (Mar 14, 2017)

Age

That 22 year old might think time is flying by for him but if he hears the newest game won’t come out for another 8 months he’ll think that’s forever. 

When some 30 year old sees that advertising for West World and then sees it won’t premiere for another 4 months he’ll say why are they advertising stuff that won’t come on for like forever?

Me? I barely have time to plan on watching anything before the next damned New Year is here... again!


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## Talker67 (Apr 7, 2016)

how you percieve time is how you choose to. Are you walking down the street to get from Poin tA to Point B? Or do you stop to examine the cracks in the sidewalk, the new car parked on the street, say hi to the dog wagging his tail behind the fence, check out the images the clouds make up in the sky...and so on. 

If you are not really observing life...it seems to speed by too fast indeed.


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## RandomDude (Dec 18, 2010)

Ok folks, I think I have mastered time itself! Last two weeks feels like months!

Secret: Pack a SH-TLOAD of NEW STUFF in your life, new people, new adventures, crazy stuff!


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## As'laDain (Nov 27, 2011)

in my case, my childhood flew by because i was kept in a medically altered state of consciousness for years. from the time i was 5 till 10 years old, all i remember were flashes. i specifically remember people wishing me happy birthday when i turned 10 and feeling so confused because it seemed like i had JUST turned 9 a few days prior. 

then, when i came off the medications, time moved a lot slower but i still always had the feeling that it flew by when i looked back at it.


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