A study published in the Journal of Communications Biology examined brain scans of participants watching an old Alfred Hitchcock show. Researchers analyzed data from the Cambridge Centre for Ageing and Neuroscience, which has long studied the effects of aging on the brain.
A total of 577 people watched the short TV episode, with particular focus on an 8-minute segment. Functional MRI scans revealed how brain activity changed as participants processed the events of the episode. The segment was chosen because it consistently activated specific neural processes where the brain segments events and interprets them from multiple perspectives.
Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 88. Computational algorithms analyzed their brain scans, revealing that older individuals displayed significantly less new brain activity during the 8-minute segment, while younger viewers showed more dynamic engagement.
Researchers explained that this reduction in neural activity may contribute to the perception that time passes more quickly with age. They suggested that if middle-aged or older people are equally idle or occupied, time feels like it “flies by.”
However, diminished neural activity is only part of the explanation. A study from Nevada University in July 2024 noted that while most people believe the brain tracks time like a clock, it actually gauges time based on personal experiences. When we are bored or inactive, time feels slow because there is little happening; conversely, when engaged or surrounded by activity, the brain processes more information, making time feel faster.
Earlier research also indicated that as we age, the brain’s internal clock slows, giving life a sense of acceleration. Other studies suggest that time perception is linked to the amount of new information the brain processes. Childhood feels longer because everything is new, requiring more cognitive processing.
Additionally, one study found that dopamine release in response to novel experiences declines after the age of 20, which may further explain why time seems to pass more rapidly as we get older.
