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

Think of driving down 2 roads of the same length. One has 2 speed bumps. The other has 100 speed bumps. The one with fewer speed bumps is smooth sailing and you barely remember the drive. I think of young life and older life like these 2 roads. Young life has tons of milestones, ups and downs, memorable events, and you really feel the heavy emotional rollercoaster. Then you get to 50 or so and each week is just about the same. Fewer ups and downs. And those weeks are just not memorable.