19 JANUARY 2008, Page 22

The speed of time

Sir: In response to Toby Young’s search for an explanation as to why time speeds up as we get older (Status anxiety, 5 January), I have my own (non-scientific) theory. When I was 20, five years was one quarter of my life. When I will be 80, five years will be only one 16th of my life. The smaller the fraction, the faster it passes.

Barbara Day

Prague