Does time seem to speed up as you grow older? Heart surgeon Dr Jeremy London explains why this happens

People tend to remember core memories from their early adulthood, after which life seems to whoosh by. Dr London explains why time seemingly speeds up with age.

As you grow older, does it feel like the years just whoosh by, with time somehow moving faster than it used to? You’re not alone – it’s a common experience, and there’s actually an established phenomenon that may help explain why the years seem to fly by and why certain periods of your life stand out more vividly in memory.

Dr Jeremy London, a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon with 25 years of experience, is is breaking down why time seems to speed up as you age and why you tend to remember more events from your early adulthood. In an Instagram video shared on August 31, the heart surgeon explains, “Why does time seem to speed up as we get older? Well, there's actually a name for part of the why. It's the reminiscence bump.”

What is a reminiscence bump?

The heart surgeon explains, “If you were to ask any 70-year-old to tell you about their life, their stories wouldn't be spread evenly over the decades. It would be concentrated between the ages of 18 and 25. This is the time of most novelty. First job, graduating from college, moving away from home, the time of most novelty. And this is what our brains code deeply. Over time, the curve starts to flatten out. We fall into routines. Time becomes condensed. 10 years can feel like a weekend. We go into autopilot.”

Can the reminiscence bump be renewed?

Your core memories may be concentrated in early adulthood as you grow older, but does that mean you stop forming memorable experiences after your 20s? Not at all. Dr London highlights that the reminiscence bump can be renewed by novel experiences. So, the good news is that major or meaningful life events later in adulthood can still create vivid, lasting memories – it is totally under your control, and the rest of your life does not have to be boring.

He further elaborates, “The good news is, this reminiscence bump doesn't have to be confined to your 20s. It can show up wherever novelty does. A new skill, a new place that you've never visited before, doing something really hard. Autopilot is the default. And this default is what costs us years that we can't find even when we go looking for them. Time didn't speed up. Your life inputs have changed. The same inputs you are in control of.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

Dr Jeremy London is a board-certified cardiovascular surgeon with more than 25 years of experience. He has an MD from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and his focus is on the intersection of lifestyle, preventive medicine, and evidence-based longevity.