Older and Faster

I recently remarked to a friend that I couldn't believe that 2012 was just around the corner and that the older I got, the faster time passed. And it made me wonder, why? So I did some research and here's what I discovered through NPR's All Things Considered:

Neuroscientist David Eagleman says that when you experience a "first", such as a first kiss, an early birthday or summer vacation, they seem to be in slow motion. That's because, as a first, there are so many things to remember. "The list of encoded memories is so dense, reading them back gives you a feeling that they must have taken forever. But that's an illusion."

"Of course, you can see this in everyday life," says Eagleman, "when you drive to your new workplace for the first time and it seems to take a really long time to get there. But when you drive back and forth to your work every day after that, it takes no time at all, because you're not really writing it down anymore." He reports that this "may be because the brain records new experiences — especially novel and exciting experiences — differently." Eagleman's lab has found that brains use more energy to represent a memory when the memory is novel."

Aha! You can slow down time by having 'novel and exciting experiences'. I'm all for that, both personally and artistically. Here's hoping that 2012 is full of such opportunities and events.

And for you, gentle reader, one such opportunity is "The Path Beyond" - Full Radius Dance in concert on January 20 and 21, 2012. The company will be performing three premiere works which we hope you'll find innovative, powerful and passionate. Guaranteed to stimulate your brain -- and your emotions.