Have you ever experienced the following awkward “brain short circuit” scene?
When talking with someone, an idea suddenly came to my mind, and when you just finished the last sentence, or listened to the last sentence the other person said, and wanted to use voice to present the thought in your mind, this idea– Suddenly-missing?
There is also a similar situation, picking up a pen but forgetting what to write, a familiar word can only remember the initials… Scientists call these “tongue phenomenon”, which vividly describes the embarrassment of not being able to speak the tongue. . Sometimes, everyone will jokingly call it “brain short circuit”.
As early as 1890, researchers described this psychological phenomenon in books. Until 1966, two researchers from Harvard University confirmed the rationality of experiencing the “tip of tongue phenomenon” in perception, which laid the foundation for subsequent research on the phenomenon.
Numerous studies have shown that the “tip of the tongue” phenomenon in the population will increase significantly with age. At the same time, its occurrence is closely related to the individual’s living environment, mental condition, psychological factors and the content involved in this phenomenon. In addition, the multilingual population, mental diseases, and organic diseases are also related to the “tip of tongue phenomenon”.
Open your mouth and forget? It may be
that the mechanism behind the “tip of tongue phenomenon” has not been fully elucidated. The current popular explanation is that you suddenly forget your thoughts at the last moment, or suddenly can’t remember familiar things, mainly caused by the decline in working memory.
So what is working memory? Working memory is a memory system with limited capacity that temporarily processes and stores information. It plays an important role in many complex cognitive activities. Compared with long-term memory, the characteristics of working memory are mainly reflected in three aspects: limited capacity, short time, and changeable.
Say it vividly! Electronic devices such as computers or mobile phones have operating memory and storage space. The operating memory determines how many programs and the speed at which the system of a device can run at the same time, and the storage space determines the capacity of the device to store text, pictures, videos and other materials. These two correspond to the working memory and long-term memory of our brain. By analogy to the operating mode of electronic devices, we can know that the brain uses working memory (equivalent to the operating memory of electronic devices) to process current things, but due to capacity limitations, the amount of information that people can process at the same time is limited. Research suggests that human long-term memory is infinite. When our working memory declines temporarily or for a long time, the tip of the tongue phenomenon will appear. The reason is that the amount of information currently processed by our brain is huge and has been overloaded!
“Fragments”? Let it go, the important ones will always come to mind
It is safe to say that everyone has experienced the “tip of the tongue” more or less, especially when we are nervous, tired, or drinking, we are more likely to “fragment”.
When encountering the “tip of the tongue”, some people may feel embarrassed, depressed, and anxious, or they may still fail to retrieve their memories after thinking hard, and even begin to question their abilities and worry about their physical condition-“Is my brain aging?” “It’s not a sign of stroke or dementia.”
In fact, the occasional “tip of tongue phenomenon” is completely normal, and it is unlikely to affect our communication with others. “Oh, I forgot what I just wanted to say”. The other party can fully understand this sentence. Most people don’t take this episode to heart.
When an idea is suddenly lost, people may subconsciously exaggerate the idea and think it is important. If you cannot recall it, it will cause or further aggravate negative emotions. Therefore, if we calm down our nervousness and anxiety, try to follow the relevant clues to find our lost thoughts. If we can “shut up” and “willow flowers”, of course it is best; if we fail, don’t stop all activities at hand and twist Try your best to think about it. What should I do?
The really important things will reappear at some point; the unimportant things, forget it. Taking the exam as an example, there is clearly a familiar topic in front of me. I reviewed the one I just saw yesterday, but the way to solve the problem “hidden” deep in my brain and refused to come out. This question is more likely to make students nervous than unrevised questions, and even self-denial. At this time, it is wise to “stop the loss” in time, take a deep breath, skip this “tip of the tongue” first, and complete the following questions.
Forgot and forget? Vigilance is a sign of certain diseases
Some people may ask: Is there any way to avoid or reduce the “tip of tongue phenomenon”? The answer is yes!
If you want to deal with problems from a preventive perspective, you must start with the brain retrieval process. We need to make every search complete and accurate. The key is to establish an effective search system. We must have a solid grasp of knowledge at ordinary times. Through understanding memory and sensory memory, we need to construct clues and main information into a stable knowledge grid, and take timely review. The way to consolidate the knowledge learned, so that relevant information can be extracted timely and accurately when needed, reducing the “tip of the tongue phenomenon” from the root cause.
Generally speaking, the essence of this phenomenon is temporary forgetting in the process of recalling. It is only a special phenomenon of memory and has nothing to do with memory decline. But when the “tip of tongue phenomenon” gradually increases, reaching several times a day, we need to pay attention. Physiological transient forgetting increases, which can be seen in situations such as taking drugs and drinking alcohol.
Too many similar phenomena may also be signs of some diseases, such as mild cognitive impairment in the elderly, Alzheimer’s disease, and organic brain diseases.
Therefore, when the “tip of the tongue” appears frequently, suddenly and progressively increases, you need to go to the psychiatric or neurology department in time.
Everyone will encounter situations where he forgets the words when he picks up his pen, but he can’t say what he says. Once or twice he doesn’t need to be nervous. The first step is to stay calm. The second step, with the help of contextual memories, stroke the people or things you just thought of. The third step is to divert your attention if it doesn’t work, let it go! Maybe after a while, it will jump into your mind again!
脑短路
