diff --git a/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php b/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php
index 7829231448..296e3f1e7e 100644
--- a/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php
+++ b/src/Analyser/MutatingScope.php
@@ -917,8 +917,12 @@ public function getScopeNativeType(Expr $expr): Type
 
 	private function getNodeKey(Expr $node): string
 	{
-		$key = $this->exprPrinter->printExpr($node);
+		// perf optimize for the most common path
+		if ($node instanceof Variable && !$node->name instanceof Expr) {
+			return '$' . $node->name;
+		}
 
+		$key = $this->exprPrinter->printExpr($node);
 		$attributes = $node->getAttributes();
 		if (
 			$node instanceof Node\FunctionLike
diff --git a/src/Node/Printer/ExprPrinter.php b/src/Node/Printer/ExprPrinter.php
index 8d31c9344d..33de36f211 100644
--- a/src/Node/Printer/ExprPrinter.php
+++ b/src/Node/Printer/ExprPrinter.php
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ public function __construct(private Printer $printer)
 
 	public function printExpr(Expr $expr): string
 	{
+		// perf optimize for the most common path
+		if ($expr instanceof Expr\Variable && !$expr->name instanceof Expr) {
+			return '$' . $expr->name;
+		}
+
 		/** @var string|null $exprString */
 		$exprString = $expr->getAttribute(self::ATTRIBUTE_CACHE_KEY);
 		if ($exprString === null) {