Why is life so short?

Life feels short because time is relative to our experiences and perceptions. Childhood seems endless, but as adults, routines compress time. Neuroscientists suggest our brains encode fewer new memories in adulthood, making years feel fleeting. The “proportional theory” argues each year becomes a smaller fraction of our lifespan—making time appear to accelerate by 5-7% annually after age 40.

Three key reasons:

Biological Clock: Telomeres (chromosome caps) shorten with age, limiting cell division to ~50 cycles (Hayflick limit). By 80, most humans exhaust 90% of their regenerative capacity.

Cognitive Compression: An adult processes 74GB of daily information (UC San Diego study), creating a “temporal illusion” where familiar stimuli require less neural processing, shrinking perceived duration.

Cultural Velocity: Modern productivity demands fracture attention—the average person checks phones 58x daily (Dscout 2024), creating constant micro-interruptions that disrupt temporal continuity.

Yet, depth outweighs length. Research shows people recall 80% more meaningful moments than routine periods (Harvard Memory Lab). By cultivating novelty—learning skills, traveling, or deep relationships—we can “stretch” time through memory density. As philosopher Seneca noted: “Life is long if you know how to use it.” The paradox? Those who chase time often lose it; those who immerse in moments gain eternity in minutes.