What's Really Going on Up There When You Have a Brain Fart?

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Uh oh. It happened again. You’ve walked into a room with a purpose, only to realize you have no idea why you’re there or what you were doing. Welcome to the club. Since I turned 40, ahem, a few years ago, I’ve noticed a distinct uptick in these mental lapses. Some people like to call them ‘brain farts’—those moments when your brain seems to be conspiring to make you feel or look stupid.

It might induce a laugh or two the first few times it happens, but it can also leave you frustrated, scratching your head, and wondering, “Am I losing it?” If you’re like me and have a family history ofAlzheimer’s disease, you might also start to worry that it might indicate a more serious problem with your memory.

I talked to some mental health experts to help explain why these quirky cognitive hiccups happen–and when they might be a sign of something more serious.

At a GlanceBrain farts can be frustrating and worrisome. Are they just normal absent-mindedness or a sign of something you should be more worried about? Research suggests that these moments are often just a normal part of how memory works and tend to worsen when you are distracted, stressed, or bored.Age-related memory changes can also play a role, but it’s important to be diligent and watch for signs of abnormal or increasing forgetfulness. If you are concerned about your memory problems, be sure to have a conversation with your doctor.

At a Glance

Brain farts can be frustrating and worrisome. Are they just normal absent-mindedness or a sign of something you should be more worried about? Research suggests that these moments are often just a normal part of how memory works and tend to worsen when you are distracted, stressed, or bored.Age-related memory changes can also play a role, but it’s important to be diligent and watch for signs of abnormal or increasing forgetfulness. If you are concerned about your memory problems, be sure to have a conversation with your doctor.

Brain farts can be frustrating and worrisome. Are they just normal absent-mindedness or a sign of something you should be more worried about? Research suggests that these moments are often just a normal part of how memory works and tend to worsen when you are distracted, stressed, or bored.

Age-related memory changes can also play a role, but it’s important to be diligent and watch for signs of abnormal or increasing forgetfulness. If you are concerned about your memory problems, be sure to have a conversation with your doctor.

What Causes Brain Farts?

“Mental lapses—forgetting a name, losing focus, or struggling to think clearly—are pretty standard and often linked to stress, fatigue, and multitasking demands,” explainsDr. Caroline Fenkel, DSW, LCSW, an adolescent and mental health expert and chief clinical officer at Charlie Health.

The specific type of brain fart that plagues me–forgetting what I was doing once I walk into a room–even has its own name: the doorway effect. It’s described as a type ofshort-term memoryloss that happens when people move from one location to the next.

According to researchers, it happens because our brains create a temporary “event model.” This event model contains information about the environment and the various thoughts and actions that relate to it.

When we move from one environment to the next (e.g., walking from one room to another), our model has to shift to focus on what’s happening in the present moment. The researchers note that passing through a doorway can trigger the replacement of the previous event model with a new one, which means forgetting the thoughts and intentions associated with the previous model.

Walking from one place to the next obviously doesn’t always trigger this phenomenon, and the doorway effect isn’t the only factor that contributes to brain farts in different situations. Other factors that can play a role include:

Attention

My own forgetful moments tend to strike when I’mmultitasking. Juggling multiple mental tasks often means doing some things onautopilot. Since yourattentionisn’t fully focused on what you’re doing, you’re more likely to experience these mistakes.

“When we try to juggle too many things simultaneously, our cognitive resources become stretched, and we’re more likely to experience these mental ‘blips,'” Dr. Fenkel explains.

Age

Unfortunately, research suggests that this mental flatulence may start to increase as you get older. Sure, the sheer business of life definitely plays a part, but certain cognitive abilities, including memory, processing speed, attention, andexecutive function, really do tend todecline with age.

Stress

Mental mistakes are more likely to happen when you’re dealing with a lot ofstress.

“When we’re under stress, our brains prioritize immediate concerns, often at the expense of less urgent tasks, like remembering where we put our keys,” Dr. Fenkel says.

“Stress is known to be a factor that can contribute to memory issues. As we age, we can be at higher risk for developing memory lapses,” says Dr. Stacey E. Podkovik, DO, a pediatric neurosurgeon and co-founder ofJellyMed. “However, it’s important not to just brush these symptoms off to age and to speak with your primary care provider if you have any concerns.”

How Stress Works With and Against Your Memory

Fatigue

A tired brain doesn’t function well, leading to more frequent lapses in memory and concentration.—DR. CAROLINE FENKEL, DSW, LCSW

A tired brain doesn’t function well, leading to more frequent lapses in memory and concentration.

—DR. CAROLINE FENKEL, DSW, LCSW

Poor sleep doesn’t just leave you feeling cranky and exhausted; research has found that it can also create lapses in memory and visual perceptions.

Boredom

Research also suggests that you’re more likely to experience brain farts when you are engaged in routine, monotonous tasks. When your brain drifts off, your default mode network becomes activated. This consumes a lot of the brain’s energy. To fuel it, the brain may shut down other processing systems, leaving you less attentive and more prone to making basic goofs.

When to Be ConcernedMental health experts suggest that if you are concerned about these mental lapses, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. “If memory issues begin affecting your daily life and make it more difficult to complete tasks that normally and previously were done without issue, you may want to speak with your primary care provider,” Dr. Podkovik suggests.

When to Be Concerned

Mental health experts suggest that if you are concerned about these mental lapses, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. “If memory issues begin affecting your daily life and make it more difficult to complete tasks that normally and previously were done without issue, you may want to speak with your primary care provider,” Dr. Podkovik suggests.

Common Examples of Brain Farts

We’ve all been there at some point or another, so you can probably think of a few examples of brain farts you’ve experienced in your own life. Maybe you forgot what you were talking about in the middle of a sentence. Or you walked into the grocery store only to find that you couldn’t remember what you stopped to get.

Becoming more aware of these types of brain blunders can help you feel a little better about your own mistakes. Honestly, it can be a little reassuring to realize that these moments regularly happen to other people, too!

I am the worst at remembering people’s names. After being introduced to someone, I’ll often realize—literally just moments later—that I’ve already forgotten their name. Oops!

Inattention and distractions are frequently to blame. If you aren’t fully focused on learning the other person’s name when it’s announced, it fades from your short-term memory before it can be transferred tolong-term memory. Other distractions, like carrying on a conversation or paying attention to other details, can make it harder to focus on this information.

Misplacing Objects

Misplacing objects is another common type of brain fart that often happens when you perform tasks onautopilot. You know you put your keys…somewhere. A place that made sense. A place you’ddefinitelyremember later, right? So why are you scrambling to remember where they might be when you’re already late for work?

Chances are good that you sat them down somewhere without really thinking about it. Since you failed to encode that bit of information in your memory, you’re not able to actually remember where you left them when you really need them.

Making Simple Errors in Calculations

Even if you consider yourself a math wiz, you’ve probably made the mistake of going over budget or underestimating how much cash you’ll need due to simple calculation errors. These mistakes might stem from overconfidence in our abilities, but fatigue and distractions can also play a part. Either way, they are a reminder that everyone has their moments.

Getting Sidetracked During a Conversation

Losing your train of thought in the middle of a conversation is another example of a brain fart you might experience from time to time. You might forget the point you were trying to make or forget what you were talking about altogether.

It can be a bewildering experience, but it’s important to remember that it happens to everyone. Factors like fatigue, distractions, and information overload can leave you scrambling when you lose the plot.

Impact of Brain Farts

In most cases, we only recognize these mistakes after the fact. We’ve made the error, and now we need to make an excuse to explain why it happened. Depending on the nature of the lapse, you might feel like laughing at your ownforgetfulnessor hiding your head in the sand to avoid embarrassment. But can these mental lapses really have an impact on your daily life?

“These ‘blips’ absolutely can become intrusive if they begin happening more frequently to where they affect your day-to-day life. Particularly when the people around you begin to notice,” Dr. Podkovik says. “It can be very worrisome when it begins affecting your functioning at places such as work.”

While brain farts are usually harmless, that doesn’t mean they aren’t inconvenient, frustrating, or cringe-worthy. Some possible effects include:

Safety RisksBrain farts are usually harmless, but they can be dangerous if they happen when you are engaged in a potentially risky activity, like cooking a meal or driving a car. For example, forgetting to turn a hot plate off might lead to a fire, while zoning out in busy traffic might lead to an accident.

Safety Risks

Brain farts are usually harmless, but they can be dangerous if they happen when you are engaged in a potentially risky activity, like cooking a meal or driving a car. For example, forgetting to turn a hot plate off might lead to a fire, while zoning out in busy traffic might lead to an accident.

Coping Strategies for Brain Farts

While brain farts are a part of life, there are things you can do to minimize how often they happen–and deal with them gracefully when they do:

She also recommends taking steps to manage your stress. “Relaxation techniques likedeep breathing,meditation, or simplytaking a breakcan help keep your brain in a more optimal state.”

Mindfulnesscan also be a helpful way to focus more on the present and minimize the distractions that can derail your train of thought. “Practicing mindfulness can train your brain to stay in the moment, improving focus and reducing the frequency of these mental lapses,” Dr. Fenkel says.

Taking these steps can better support your brain’s functioning and minimize those frustrating blips.—DR. CAROLINE FENKEL, DSW, LCSW

Taking these steps can better support your brain’s functioning and minimize those frustrating blips.

So what should you do when a brain fart does happen? Laugh it off! Trust us, it happens to everyone, so it helps to maintain a sense of humor about it. Laugh, apologize for your mistake, and move on.

Dr. Podkovik suggests that if you are experiencing these lapses in memory, the most important thing you can do is focus on your own health. He recommends seeing your primary care provider regularly to ensure that your physical, cardiovascular, and mental health are in good order.

Takeaways

According to the experts, brain farts generally aren’t a cause for concern. If you are worried, consider some of the factors that might be playing a role, such as your age, stress, and attention levels. Try utilizing some simplememory-boosting strategies, such as avoiding multitasking, taking notes, and slowing down when possible.

If these tricks aren’t helping, or if you notice that your memory problems are worsening, talk to your doctor. They can evaluate your memory for signs of a more serious problem–and suggest treatments or solutions that can help.

7 Brain Exercises to Strengthen Your Mind

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Pettijohn KA, Radvansky GA.Walking through doorways causes forgetting: environmental effects.Journal of Cognitive Psychology. 2016;28(3):329-340. doi:10.1080/20445911.2015.1123712

Murman DL.The impact of age on cognition.Semin Hear. 2015;36(3):111-121. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1555115

Nir Y, Andrillon T, Marmelshtein A, et al.Selective neuronal lapses precede human cognitive lapses following sleep deprivation.Nat Med. 2017;23(12):1474-1480. doi:10.1038/nm.4433

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