Javier Botía, mentalist: “After 40, time seems to pass faster and faster.”
The illusionist reflects on the acceleration of time with age and proposes his “dog years” method.
Mentalist Javier Botía was recently invited to El Podcast Viral, where, in addition to discussing the mind, he shared a reflection that many people can relate to: “After 40, time starts moving faster and faster.”
Botía, who is 53, believes this feeling is shared by most people once they cross the threshold of 40. “The first years of your life are lived very intensely, and they truly feel long,” he explains, recalling how a summer in childhood seemed endless or how a week at camp felt like it would never end.
However, once adulthood arrives, everything changes. “Now, suddenly, the days go by, the months go by, the years go by. Everything moves so quickly,” he says. According to Botía, this perception is not random. It has to do with how our brain processes novelty and experience.
The “dog years” theory
Intrigued by this acceleration, the illusionist decided to explore the phenomenon further. In an era defined by biohacking and an obsession with longevity, he offers a thought-provoking perspective: “It’s pointless if you manage to gain 20 extra years but, in your perception, they feel like two. What would really matter is living two years that feel like 20.”
This idea leads him to introduce the concept of “dog years.” Botía points out that a dog typically lives between 14 and 20 years, and from our sense of human superiority we tend to think, “poor animal.” Yet he challenges that assumption. Perhaps it is not about how many years are lived, but how those years are experienced. The difference lies not in the quantity of time, but in the intensity with which it is lived.
His proposal is simple: break away from routine and seek out experiences that expand our sense of time. It is not about adding more years to life, but about making each stage feel as vivid and expansive as those endless childhood summers.
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