A lot of us have this experience where, if we leave it alone for a while, it eventually bubbles surface later when you’re not trying. “But it doesn’t happen any more frequently, necessarily, it’s just more noticeable.

However, our brain processing speeds do slow down with age which can make those tip of the tongue experiences feel like more of a strain. As we get older, we notice them more and start to worry they’re a symptom of something pathological but they’re actually just a by-product of how our brains are designed.” “Young people experience several tip of the tongues a day but young people don’t sweat them because Alzheimer’s, old age, and memory loss aren’t really on their radar. People’s names, cities, movie titles, book titles, they live in a neurological cul de sacs that are very difficult to get to. Our brains have a very difficult time remembering proper nouns. “When you experience a tip of the tongue (e.g. “You have trillions of connections and memory is a bunch of associated connections and, throughout your life, you have the possibility of learning and remembering new things forever, for as long as you live.”įorgetting is a natural part of being human and people should not worry that it’s a sign of Alzheimer’s or dementia, Genova says.

None of those are true, you use all your brain at any given moment, it’s all accessible to you depending on what you’re asking it to accomplish. “There’s this misconception that you only use 10 percent of your brain or that your ‘memory bank’ can fill up and you can’t have any room for more memories. Genova tells Kim Hill that the common idea that, as we get older, our brains get too full and memories are sacrificed to make room is absolutely untrue. Listen to the full interview with Lisa Genova

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