Does Your Brain Fart?
Your brain actually consumes more energy than any other organ in your
body, so every once in a while it likes to take a break. All of a sudden
you will forget something, or make a mistake while doing an habitual
task that usually relies on memory and reflexes. This is known as a
brain fart.
Here's
an example, you've been driving to work on the same route for over five
years, when suddenly you find yourself on an unfamiliar road wondering
how in the world you got there... you just had a brain fart.
Neuroscientists are trying to find out why your brain takes that
short break. Testing has been done with MRIs, EEGs and MEGs to study the
brain and what happens prior to a brain fart.
What scientists have found is that 30 seconds before the hiccup in
your brain, the blood flow begins to decrease in the part of the brain
that deals with focusing and task effort, i.e. the mundane activities we
do daily, such as driving, eating, or washing dishes. Your brain is
taking a break and trying to conserve energy.
What they also found is that as soon as the mistake is made, the
brain kicks back into gear, which is a good thing because your brain
would be fried if you had to use your thought process to complete
everyday, mundane tasks.
Another type of brain fart is TOT, or tip-of-the-tongue syndrome,
when that elusive word just seems to disappear on route from your brain
to your mouth. It was right there a second ago, but now it's gone,
seemingly never to appear again.
Scientists are unsure what causes TOT, but they believe our ageing
brains may be the culprit. "It's really hard to say what causes it,"
says Gary Small, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Aging at the UCLA
Semel Institute. "I don't think we've had enough research on it. But we
do know that as our brains age, our neurons don't communicate as
effectively as they did when they were younger... The retrieval process
becomes less efficient."
Studies have shown that young adults between the ages of 18 and 22
experience brain farts about once or twice a week. Older adults aged 65
to 75 experience brain farts or TOTS twice as much as younger adults.
According to Deborah Burke, a psychology professor at Pomona College
in Claremont, California, "Studies suggest that the brain retrieves
words through a system of networks that process thoughts into speech;
the TOT occurs when a snag blocks the word from making it to the
articulation stage."
TOTs are like traffic jams, the word gets stuck and the harder you
try to remember the word, the farther away it floats from your brain.
You can remember what the word begins with, and maybe even the end, but
not that elusive word!
It seems the best way to retrieve that sneaky word is to stop trying.
Just let it alone and sooner or later it will pop into your head.
According to Burke, "We think that there is a chance occurrence in life
that makes the word pop up. Like, someone who's trying to think of Ouija
might say Oh, hell. The thing people need to realise is that retrieval
is just a normal part of cognition... not necessarily proof your brain
is falling apart."
- The Alternative Daily |