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What is a Brain Fart?

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

For those people who have experienced a momentary lapse of reason or a forgetful "tip of the tongue" moment, there is a very accurate — if inelegant — term: a brain fart. This can either be an ill-advised moment when a person temporarily forgets his or her circumstances before speaking, or it could be a so-called "senior moment" when a familiar thought or piece of common knowledge cannot be recalled instantly. A driver may have one on a highway, for instance, and drive right past a familiar exit ramp.

Many people experience this type of lapse whenever they temporarily lose mental focus or concentration on the matter at hand. While in that unfocused moment, an employee might forget he or she is speaking to his or her boss, or an experienced technician may forget the name of a basic part or tool. Sometimes, a person can overcome the event and continue the task at hand, but other times he or she may have to deal with the consequences before life can return to normal.

A brain fart can mean a moment of forgetfulness.
A brain fart can mean a moment of forgetfulness.

The term brain fart is relatively new in the popular vernacular, but the sudden release of bodily gases known as a fart is not. Some sources believe the descriptive but somewhat scatological term is the mental equivalent of a bout of intestinal flatulence. In the same way that the body occasionally emits an unwelcome burst of gas, the brain may create an unfortunately timed bubble of forgetfulness or unfiltered thought. This uncontrollable thought bubble may be temporarily offensive or embarrassing, but it should dissipate as quickly as it formed.

The niacin found in peanuts may help improve memory.
The niacin found in peanuts may help improve memory.

Others suggest that the term is a crude corruption of the medical term infarction, referring to a sudden burst of blood vessels that can lead to strokes or other serious impairments. Suffering an actual brain infarction might trigger the same short-term memory loss or inappropriate outbursts.

Whether it is called a brain fart, a senior moment, or the even more dubious "CRS disease," a temporarily loss of short-term memory or an occasional impromptu outburst is perfectly natural and understandable. Very few people can get through their entire day without experiencing at least one moment of forgetfulness, so it is generally acceptable in an informal setting to apologize profusely and move on.

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular WiseGEEK contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular WiseGEEK contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon221625

Considering the amount of information that our brains process every day, it is no wonder our brains fart. It is a nuerological bluescreen and a reboot that puts all logic back together until next time.

FitzMaurice

@BigBloom

I think that this may be true, but more often than not, people do experience genuine brain farts and therefore should be given the benefit of the doubt when uttering stupid or offensive statements. If someone consistently continues to negligently repeat the same mistake, however, then they should probably be confronted.

BigBloom

Sometimes this term can be exploited by people as a sort of "apology" or cover up for what was indeed an intentional offensive comment or slight. If the person realizes that they've gotten themselves into trouble with someone, they can simply blame it on a brain fart and they will get free of blame easily.

anon51002

Actually, there isn't any corruption of the medical term "infarction". I coined this term in 1964 because I made an error I should not have.

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    • A brain fart can mean a moment of forgetfulness.
      By: chuugo
      A brain fart can mean a moment of forgetfulness.
    • The niacin found in peanuts may help improve memory.
      By: lirtlon
      The niacin found in peanuts may help improve memory.
    • Suffering from an actual brain infarction may trigger the same short-term memory loss as depicted by a brain fart.
      By: CLIPAREA.com
      Suffering from an actual brain infarction may trigger the same short-term memory loss as depicted by a brain fart.
    • A brain fart is synonymous with confusion.
      By: Antonioguillem
      A brain fart is synonymous with confusion.
    • The term brain fart might be used when someone does something silly instead of serious.
      By: blantiag
      The term brain fart might be used when someone does something silly instead of serious.