On the Tip of My Tongue
As I get older, I’m often frustrated by having something “on the tip of my tongue” that I can’t quite get out. Now scientists are making progress in discovering where and how the brain sorts out information that’s “on the tip of the tongue.”
To find out what’s happening in the brain, scientists use a technique called magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. An MRI scan uses a magnetic field to monitor blood flow changes in the brain during different mental activities. It then makes pictures of specific layers of the brain.
In one study, scientists monitored blood flow changes in the brains of people taking a general knowledge test. Certain parts of the brain’s outer layer, or cortex, sprang into action only when participants reported being on the verge of remembering an answer that they were sure they knew. Scientists theorize that particular regions, which are activated on both sides of the brain, compare conflicting information triggered by memory tasks.
Efforts to visualize possible responses and generate a correct final answer eventually activated three distinct patches of the right brain tissue. These seem to be regions that help us sort out the right information from all the knowledge that springs to mind when something is “on the tip of the tongue.”
So next time something’s “on the tip of your tongue,” be patient while your brain sorts things out, before it spills them out.
I’m sure we’ve all had those frustrating experiences when something was on the tip of our tongue but still effectively out of reach. It seems as though our brains are doing a computer “find all” but it feels like the system is being “hung.” We wait for the results to be displayed on our mental computer screen. Have you ever noticed though that sometimes just going away from the topic for a while will allow our brains to come up with the answer we were wanting? It is as though we’ve had to reboot! The actual name for this process in cognitive psychology is “incubation time.”
The moments during which our brain is working overtime but not coming up with anything profitable for us to say is an exercise in frustration. The neurons are firing, retrieving, communicating, but there seems to be nothing to show for all our mental workout. Process takes effort.
While others can’t see anything happening, we know we’re working hard. This is time consuming, internal activity. If smoke were coming out our ears, at least we could give some evidence of mental activity. Yet we stand there being unable to pull up the information or contribute to the discussion. Process takes time.
Many times though, a thought breaks through and the words that were on the tip of our tongue finally manage to be voiced. This is both reward and relief.
What is important for our considerations today is the idea of process. Process does its work on you and in you. At times you are not aware of the change going on inside. At other times you are very conscious of it and frustrated by the experience. Process takes both time and energy. It doesn’t always look like anything is really happening. You’re just sitting there spinning, making no progress. Frequently though this work has its effect. The tension is resolved, the puzzle is solved and you’re in a better position to deal with the issue the next time - either because you’ve now discovered what doesn’t work or perhaps have indeed found the necessary solution. Be patient with yourself as you process. Change, growth and development are part of life’s unfolding.
We are all in the process of change. Some of these changes are physical, some emotional, or mental. Some are spiritual changes. We understand things in a new light as we gain knowledge and experience - both negative and positive. Things take on different value as we age and mature.
It seems we have little difficulty understanding this concept as it applies to children. They are growing in all sorts of ways. We expect them to change and would be worried if they didn’t. Yet as adults we have this idea that we’ve reached full development and things are static. We have arrived. Yet there are significant challenges and changes that occur in adulthood too.
Consider how your spiritual views have changed, grown, and matured. Based on where you are now, can you anticipate what kind of spiritual life you will have in 5 years? What are you doing to get there? Do you even want to be there? Do take heed to yourself and to the beliefs you hold for your values and life decisions will flow out of them.
Dr. David Humphreys and Debbie Hughes
© August 2004
