Time Hurries on but Does not Fly in Older Age — No Effect of Depressive Symptoms

Abstract Research on the commonly known phenomenon of perceived accelerated time passage with increasing age has provided inconsistent results. This could be due to a mediating time-slowing effect of depressive symptoms as the prevalence of depression does also alter with age. Based on a large sample of 380 subjects covering a continuous range of age between 20 and 70 years, we tested whether the assumed age-related effect on time perception is being mediated by symptoms of depression. Cross-sectional differences indicate a weak, but significant nonlinear acceleration of the perceived passage of time especially during mid-adulthood, whereas no further alteration was observed above the age o…