I think time perception is contingent on cultural and lifestyle factors, I don't recognise it in my own life. My twenties (chaotic) lasted forever, now in my 30s, this last year in particular felt incredibly long (it was eventful and full of change).

I rarely find myself on "autopilot". Is that why?

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throw_away_623 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I think you are on to something.

My theory is that the brain is good at compressing memories, so if you do mostly the same things every day it's not stored as a separate memory.

I actually felt my 30s as one of the longest periods in my life, because of things that happened in my life

	▲	lm28469 5 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		It seems so obvious to me. It's all about what you do with your time, if you're stuck in a boring routine of commute, repetitive work, and a few soulless vacations here and there you'll build virtually no memorable moments and it will all feel like a blur Move to a new city, get a radically different job, get a kid, switch up your routine, pick up unusual hobbies/interests and every year will feel like a new life. Childhood feels very long because you have to go through mandatory checkpoints imposed from the outside, add that to your adult life and it'll feel the same. Why don't you go get a parachute intro course next weekend? Or rent a car on a race track? Go ice climbing next winter? Join a yoga club, a music class, a reading group, a dance class, &c. try things you don't necessarily want to do and you'll open many doors. Most humans have a tendency to go the path of least resistance, and in today's world of working from home and unlimited screen based entertainment you can very easily waste decades your life
	▲	spectralista 6 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I would agree with this from subjective experience. My non-IT based career has been highly volatile with unintended unemployment, companies going out of business, changing entire sectors and roles many times. Huge volatility in relationships and partners also. Much downside to this but the upside is my life feels incredibly long and I haven't even reached 50 yet. I have already lived numerous lives compared to the self that would have had a very stable life the last 25 years. My working life feels vastly longer than my very stable childhood. That came and went in the blink of an eye from this perspective.

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bryanrasmussen 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

right things that are eventful and full of change take a long time, childhood is generally eventful and full of change. If having an eventful and changing life increases the amount of subjective life we experience how should we live.

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t0lo 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Autopilot is a choice- most people are on it, some aren't. Society has always been like this. Society is attacking self aware and fully conscious people more than ever now though :(