The Secret to a Long Life
Radiolab
How to Make Your Life Feel Longer
The key to making your life feel longer is to create more memories. Memories are what our brain uses to measure time, so the more memories we have, the longer our life seems when we look back. The reason we remember certain things and not others is because our brain perceives them as important. Routine activities, such as brushing our teeth or going to work, are not memorable because they happen repeatedly. As we get older, there are fewer new experiences and fewer reasons for our brain to lay down new memories, which is why time seems to move faster. To make our life feel longer, we need to seek novelty and avoid routine. By introducing new experiences, emotions, and changes into our lives, we create more memories, and this makes time seem to stretch. Simple changes like brushing our teeth with the other hand or rearranging our furniture can make a difference. The more novelty and change we have in our lives, the more deeply our experiences will be imprinted in our memory. So, if you want to make your life feel longer, embrace novelty and avoid routine.
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