Subjective Acceleration of Time with Aging

Abstract

A quantitative theoretical model for the subjective acceleration of time with aging is presented. It is based on a new hypothesis, namely, that the subjective duration of an interval of real time decreases in mathematical proportion to total subjective time (rather than total real time). This gives a differential equation, the variables of which are separated and integrated to yield the result that the subjective duration of an interval of real time varies inversely with the square root of the total real time (age). This result was tested by polling college students and older adults as to their recollections regarding the relative apparent rate of the passage of time at various ages. Generally good agreement was obtained between the results of the poll and the results predicted by the theory.