Once again it is December, yes, you have not even had time to put away the lights from last Christmas and it is December again, carols again, the rush, the gifts, the dinners, the calendars. How is it possible that the year has gone by so fast? It is not that you are distracted or that days have been removed from the calendar, but science has a very curious explanation for this feeling that time is speeding up, especially at the end of the year, and we are going to share it with you.
The brain does not measure time
Although we usually say that we “perceive” time, in reality we do not do so as such. There is no sense of time hidden in the brain, nor any stopwatch. Our mind reconstructs how much time has passed between events based on the experiences and memories we accumulate. If many things happen, the year feels longer, and if not, time compresses.
Change is the unit of measurement
Think about looking at a photo album. If there are many images, the brain interprets that many things have happened and therefore a lot of time has passed. But if there are hardly any new photos, the brain concludes the opposite. That is why many people feel that the year “flew by”, not because it lasted less, but because it left less of a mark.
As children, time was endless
When we were young, everything was new: school, friends, vacations, songs. Like in Inside Out, each experience was recorded as something completely new. As adults everything changes: routine, work, days that are all the same. Days feel longer, but years pass in the blink of an eye because “it is all the same”.
Routine kills memories
As with everything we like, because let’s be honest, nobody likes working, when each day is similar to the previous one, the brain goes into energy saving mode. It stores fewer memories because there is nothing new to record, and when you look back it feels like time did not pass because you did not enjoy anything.
And December? Yesterday it was day 1
December concentrates everything: dinners, commitments, shopping, deadlines, reviews, emotions, rush. Everything at once. Our brain is so busy that it does not have time to notice time passing. Also, December forces us to look back and compare everything with January. Have we fulfilled all our resolutions?
January goes slow, December is in a hurry
January is usually endless and quiet, the complete opposite of December, which never stops. That contrast makes one drag on and the other disappear without warning.
The big trick of time
When you look at the clock, time goes slower, but if you are distracted, time flies. It has nothing to do with magic, but with attention. That is why a boring afternoon feels eternal and an intense month simply disappears.
“Time flies when you are having fun”
It does not only happen when you are having fun. Anything that keeps the mind busy, including stress, makes us lose track of time.
Can you make time not slip away so fast?
In the present, yes, you can, just get bored, although I do not recommend it much. But in the long term, there is no other option than to break your routine, learn something new, change habits, plan trips, try different things even if they are small changes. The more different experiences you live, the more memories your brain will have. And when December comes, the year will not feel so short.
Of course, do not think you are going to stop time. Each day still has 24 hours. You are only going to change how you feel it and how you live it. More attention, more experiences. Remember what gives meaning to each of our days.