English Listening - Time Flies

The Perception of Time and Age

As people age, their perception of time shifts dramatically; each year represents a smaller fraction of their lives, making time feel as though it passes more quickly. For instance, a five-year-old views one year as 20% of their life, whereas a fifty-year-old only sees it as 2%. This change in perspective contributes to a feeling that time accelerates as one grows older. The contrasting sensations of time slowing during childhood, such as the lengthy school years or the seemingly eternal summer breaks, shape this understanding of how age influences our experience of time.