How you perceive time may depend on your income

• In the 1950s, a standard treatment for epilepsy focused on removing parts of patient's brains, which also left them unable to form new long-term memories. It suggested that memory formation and time perception are tied to the medial temporal lobe.
• Another study found that the brain doesn't waste time memorizing moments that are dull or non-essential, but memories are created when someone engages in actions that are free, engaging, or varied.
• Time feels forever when it is spent in a boring environment, but in retrospect, it will not be remembered in detail. However, fascinating events that flew by will be full of memories and feel longer in retrospect.

People tend to create internal narratives about themselves - a life full of rich and varied experiences will likely have a satisfying quality to it in retrospect. Having more control over your time can lead to more novel memories.

People from all socio-economic levels could derive enjoyment and satisfaction, for example, by painting houses or gardening. Higher-paid jobs can lead to more new experiences, but wealthy people may spend money on a fancy watch instead, which will not have the same change to the perception of time as a vacation.

Age is also a wealth-dependent factor in how we experience subjective time. A young person's eye will jiggle regularly to take in new stimuli. As a person ages, the eye muscles grow slower, and the brain receives less input. The brain also grows accustomed to a certain amount of stimuli, and the small amount received in old age leaves a person feeling that the days are too short.

For a rich person, taking a vacation to an exotic place may slow time down for a while, but can lose its charm and feel that a day has come to an end too soon. People with less money have fewer chances and resources to escape the monotonous parts of their lives.