Eli5: Why, if at all, does it seem like the years go quicker as you get older?

Question

I hear a lot of people making that remark, that the years go by quicker as you get older.
For me, at least, it seems like that’s only the case if nothing much changes in my life in that year.
To me, years seem to feel like they go slower if there’s lots of new/different things happening.

In: 348

Answer 1

Anectdotally I think it’s because after 18 we have less milestones per year. In school you have start of school, end of school, dances, start of football, graduations, etc….Then all of a sudden it ends…and life is just the same thing every day, blending together.