Why does time fly by now that I am middle aged?

Question:It works like this: When you are 3, Christmas seems like forever away. But to get to the next Christmas you have to wait a whole 1/4th of your entire life because then you will be four. When you are 10, you only wait 1/10th of your entire life to get to the next year. When you are say 30 or 40, you wait 1/30th or 1/40th of your life. So it's almost like nothing to get to the next year, if that makes sense.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It works like this: When you are 3, Christmas seems like forever away. But to get to the next Christmas you have to wait a whole 1/4th of your entire life because then you will be four. When you are 10, you only wait 1/10th of your entire life to get to the next year. When you are say 30 or 40, you wait 1/30th or 1/40th of your life. So it's almost like nothing to get to the next year, if that makes sense.

More responsibilities means being busy. Being busy makes time fly by. That is what I have realized. It may be different for you, but I am 32 years young and my days are so busy that it is over before I know it.

Time is relative. Your perception of time is based on your place in space and time. As you age your ability to perceive the outside world slows. THis creates the reality that time move slower. Hence, why old people dirve slow - just ask Einstein.

Actual scientific studies have been conducted on the perspective of time at different ages of life. Its true time is perceived to pass quicker the older we get, and it is apparently due to the way that we process information. As our internal processor slows time appears to move more quickly to us. On the other end of the spectrum people that are engaged in some activity that speeds up our processor time moves much slower. For instance, using a display of random numbers flashed at a rate of speed that you can not normally read and comprehend but, if you were to bungee jump in view of the display you would catch 20% to 23% of the numbers. Same dispaly, same numbers, differerent circumstances, different processor speed.

i think that for a twenty year old
time is twice as fast for a ten year old
because they've had more of it and are inversely more used to its passing.

middle age would be twice as fast again.

when you were four a year was a quarter of your life. It seemed much longer. But as you age a year is a smaller and smaller fraction of your life. people really start to realize that around 40 it seems. A year for a 40 yr. old would only be 1/40th of their life. Plus, if you are like me, many hours of my day are for someone else. Hauling kids around and such.

its our concept of time that has diminished... we are more presise at measureing it... when we were children the concept was just being shaped...

how we shape it might be subjective but take this.

let say u walk a mile... the first time it seemed long but as u practice it, get accustome to the scenery in as a serial progression... form expectations...as the journey becomes more familiar the mile shrinks

It is a matter of perspective. When you were two-years-old, the passing of one year would be equal to 1/2 your life. When you are ten-years-old, the passing of a year would be equal to 1/10 your life. When you are 40, the passing of a year is equal to 1/40 you life. So, because your past is longer, each passing year seems shorter.

Lol. Dont worry, its all downhill from here.

To me it is a matter of simple math: when you are a child, each hour is such a big part of your entire life that time seems to move slowly (especially while waiting for Christmas!) When you are 5 years old, one year is 1/5 or 20% of your life. By the time that person reaches 40 years of age, 1 year is 1/40 or 2.5% of their entire life. By age 50, it is only 2%; for a person 100 years old, only 1% ! (There are a lot of centerrians now.)
Another feature: it is not just senior citizens who have "senior moments". The mind is so complex that many people even in their 20s momentarily forget things. (Where did I leave my car keys? Where is my purse/wallet?) So, by middle age, a person will "normally" forget many things. Add to that the "I've been there/done that" syndrome...the novelty of things have worn off...life has become mundane, humdrum. So, life seems to move more and more slowly.

The brilliance of people answering this question astounds me. I am sixty-seven and at my age time seems to be almost a blur. I feel that I am reading the Sunday News Paper almost constantly. Now I understand from your answers why. I accept your ideas and thank you for sharing. My warning to all of my juniors " Prepare for time to pass faster and faster". However, do not fear that your life will become dull and uninteresting as you grow older. With your better understanding that the years afford you you will be thrilled with life and love it like you have never loved it before.