The Psychology of your 20s
The Psychology of your 20s

455. Why does time start flying in our 20s?

September 7, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Why Time Speeds Up in Your Twenties

The pandemic didn't just disrupt two years of life—it erased a critical window for memory-making. For anyone between 17 and 25 during COVID, those years that should have been filled with firsts—solo travel, orientation weeks, graduations, nights out before full-time jobs swallowed everyone—simply didn't happen. "Those things that you were meant to happen too at 21, they never did," says host Gemma Spike. "You were indoors. You were inside." And that frozen period, spent largely scrolling TikTok, may have permanently altered how our generation experiences time.

The Three Layers of Time

Time perception isn't one thing. Neurologically, different brain regions track daylight, exhaustion, movement, and attention, with separate clocks for each sense coordinating to give us a sense of where we are. Socially, time is a construct: 60-second minutes were chosen because they're easily divisible. Culturally, Western societies treat time as fixed and sequential, while other cultures—like those Edward T. Hall studied in Latin America and Asia—view it as a stream that ebbs and flows. The Kenyan philosopher John Mbiti noted that his culture doesn't conceptualize the future at all, since time must be experienced to be real.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (03:14) **Why Time Speeds Up As We Get Older** - Host Gemma Spike introduces the episode’s central question: why do days feel shorter and years blurrier after childhood, especially in our 20s?
  • 2 (05:24) **How the Brain Measures Time** - Explains the neurological and social foundations of time perception, distinguishing between internal clocks and cultural constructs.
  • 3 (11:11) **Novelty: The Key to Slowing Time** - Novelty makes time feel expansive in hindsight, even if it speeds up in the moment; this explains why childhood felt longer.
  • 4 (14:46) **Memory and Emotion Shape Time** - Episodic memory and emotional intensity determine how we remember past periods, making them feel longer or shorter.
  • 5 (22:25) **The Pandemic and Digital Time** - COVID-19 and social media have uniquely compressed time for people in their 20s, creating a “digital experience of time.”
  • 6 (27:51) **Why Novelty on Screens Doesn’t Slow Time** - Constant digital novelty fails to create distinct memories, actually accelerating time perception.
  • 7 (32:41) **Three Steps to Reclaim Time** - Practical strategies to counter digital time compression: awareness, testing alternatives, and slow implementation.

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Show Notes

It’s a known fact that time moves faster as we get older, but what does this really mean, and can we slow it down? In this episode, we’re going to try to make sense of why flies as we enter our 20s - from memory, to novelty, eye movements and the effects of COVID. 

Watch on Netflix: HERE

We explore:

  • Different types of time: measured vs. perceived
  • What makes time feel fast and slow?
  • The effect of the pandemic
  • The relationship between time and age
  • How social media is making time go faster
  • The 4 ways we can feel like we have more time 

Happy listening! 

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The Psychology of your 20s is not a substitute for professional mental health help. If you are struggling, distressed or require personalised advice, please reach out to your doctor or a licensed psychologist. 

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