“Tempus fugit” i.e. time flies. It’s an ancient lament, but it hits harder every year. I’m no exception: 2024 felt more like the end of a paragraph than a chapter, which begs the question, “Why does time seem to speed up as we age?”

Theory 1: The Shrinking Fraction

One possible explanation is the proportionality theory (or logarithmic theory) of time perception. For example, a year in a child’s life represents a large portion of their total experience. For a five-year-old, a year is 20% of their life! As we age, a year becomes a much smaller fraction of our lived experience, creating the sense that time is rushing by.

Theory 2: The Flow Paradox

Another explanation is that as we mature and lean into our calling or purpose, we engage in Flow states more frequently. Flow is that psychological sweet spot where challenge meets skill, leading to total absorption.

This is the paradox: while hours spent in Flow can feel like minutes in the moment, the increasing frequency of these fast-moving, high-quality moments may contribute to the overall feeling that life, retrospectively, is rushing by. Since I frequently experience Flow states, I should embrace these shorter-seeming years (and I do!). Yet a part of me fears that with each passing year, paragraphs will diminish into sentences, and sentences into mere phrases.

The Answer Lies in Novelty

So, what’s a girl to do? The answer might lie in the novelty effect.

The novelty effect is a psychological phenomenon by which our brains devote more cognitive resources to processing new or unfamiliar information, whether from learning a new skill, exploring a new place, or trying new foods. No wonder childhood days felt so long; everything was new! This heightened engagement can sharpen our awareness, creating more vivid, lasting memories.

In contrast, habituation occurs when we repeatedly encounter the same stimuli, such as through routines, the daily grind, and even doom-scrolling. While habituation is efficient, it leads to diminished awareness. This, in turn, makes our memories less vivid and memorable.

What does this have to do with our sense of time? It boils down to memory. While the novelty effect ‘stretches’ time by creating a rich tapestry of distinct memories, habituation ‘compresses’ time by blurring repetitive experiences, making them shorter in hindsight.

So, seeking out novelty is key to slowing time (at least in hindsight). But let’s be real: exotic holidays and novel activities like hot air ballooning can feel like a luxury, especially with the rising cost of living. This year, my solution is cheaper, simpler, and more powerful: I aim to cultivate gratitude.

My Practical Plan: Cultivating Gratitude

Gratitude is more than simply saying ‘thank you’; it’s about actively recognising and appreciating the positive, sometimes novel, moments that often slip by unnoticed.

Studies hint that by practising gratitude, we may be able to increase our memory stores. For example, one study suggests that it may enhance memory function (potentially through its influence on brain regions involved in emotion and memory). A further study showed that when combined with personal reflection, gratitude practices could further strengthen the recall of positive personal experiences, which is precisely what I want.

To incorporate gratitude into my daily routine, I will journal three things I am grateful for each night. This practice should heighten my awareness of the little moments of novelty throughout the day and help to develop a more vivid store of memories as the year progresses. By focusing on the positive and building these stores, I hope to stretch time retrospectively and make each day feel fuller and more meaningful.

Only time will tell whether this practice actually influences how I perceive the duration of years. Regardless, I look forward to documenting the little and big things that make each day memorable in 2025 😊.