How to Make Time Last Longer as You Age

Why does time seem to move more quickly as we age? Often, we look back on the past year — or even the prior week — and remark, “That really sped by!” With each birthday, you might find yourself saying, “My last one felt like yesterday.”

Many people attribute this to mathematics. As children, we’ve lived only a fraction of our life, but in our 60s and 70s, this equation has changed. This is true, but not the whole story.

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There are ways to make time feel longer, so that when you look back, your life feels more meaningful. As we age, there are fewer reasons to make new memories, an essential element in navigating the future and making time feel longer. At any age, we can force our brains to make new memories by forging novelty and change. Here’s how:

Avoid routine

This can be simple, everyday tasks, said David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University, on the Radio Lab podcast, “The Secret to a Long Life.” He suggests toweling off in a different way after a shower, rearranging food in your refrigerator, putting dishes in a different cabinet, brushing your teeth with the opposite hand, moving your couch to the other side of the room.

The formula is “Avoid routine, and seek novelty in your life,” added Mark Whittmann, a research fellow at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health in Freiburg, Germany.

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Learn something new

It makes your brain work differently so that time feels longer. The reason the pandemic feels like a blur to many of us is because nothing new happened. Read a nonfiction book about a topic you don’t know, take a painting class, learn a new language, Tai Chi, pickleball.

“New experiences force the brain to lay down more memories,” said Eagleman, “and retrospectively, it seems as if more time has passed.”

Try new foods

We all love to eat, and every culture has its own cuisine. Instead of sticking to the familiar, order something you’ve never tasted before. Vietnamese food is different than Szechuan, bringing flavorful new memories into your taste buds and brains. My husband loves to order the same dishes in restaurants, whereas I gravitate to something I’d never make in my kitchen.