Research suggests the feeling that time speeds up with age can be shaped by fewer temporal landmarks — the small disruptions to routine that give the brain something worth remembering

The phrase “temporal landmark” entered the research literature through a 2014 paper by Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman, and Jason Riis, published in Management Science. They defined a temporal landmark as any distinct event that stands out in the ordinary humdrum of life, and they showed that these moments do something specific to how we relate to time. Google searches for the word “diet” jumped 14.4% at the start of a new week, 3.7% at the start of a new month, and 82.1% at the start of a new year. Gym attendance and goal-setting followed similar patterns.