Hello! So, I have always joked around with my friends about how when you say a particular word a few times, you start to question if it even is a word, or if it is spelled that way, etc.(think of tubing, or smock as examples) I have noticed in the past few weeks that I (37yr) am having that problem with almost any word that I try to write. We are talking about “and/it/the/Patrick” and whatnot, and it is really making problems for me at work.
Does anyone else have this problem! Does your brain automatically make all words sound fake?
And, yes, all words are made up… I am talking about the ones that currently reside in common speech.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_satiation
A sudden, dramatic shift in the way you process information is probably worth a trip to the neurologist.
Is this not something everyone has experienced? If you say a word 2-4 times it loses meaning for a little while? (It sounds absurd when I type it out)
Yeah it’s a pretty normal thing to happen occasionally for brief periods. Longer and more frequently I’d be concerned about through.
Happens to me. But we are talking once or twice a month. Yours sounds a lot worse. See a doc, hedge your bets.
I have experienced it. It has mostly happened in my native language, which makes it even weirder. Like, how could I doubt the existence of a word in my goddamn native language?! Why does it suddenly sound foreign / synthetic / artificial to me? I mean, I guess I’ve always coped with it by attributing it to overthinking things. Haven’t had the issue recently though.
Happens to me all the time but not with only 2-4 times. Maybe once ive said it like 15-20 times
Another commenter pointed out that if you induce this through repetition it’s called semantic satiation, but the more general case is known as jamais vu. It sounds like yours isn’t caused by semantic satiation. Brains are weird and often do things like this for completely benign reasons or no reason at all. Having said that, Doctor Google (who we all know not to trust) suggests causes can include epilepsy or migraine.
In any case, it might be worth looking into, if it’s something that’s causing difficulties for you. In general if it’s some specific medical cause a neurologist would be the relevant specialist but your primary care physician or general practitioner would be your first port of call and might be able to recommend further course of action.
Get a carbon monoxide detector.
But seriously, if it’s a frequent problem I think you should talk about it with a doctor.
As an alternative to the neurological issues others are proposing, it could be this weird new disease called crippling anxiety.
I am legitimately asking- is suddenly having a problem processing words attributable to anxiety?
If you are anxious about the processing of words, most definitely this is possible, but I am 100% not saying that it is definitely the cause of your problems.
You are right now highly self-conscious that you might have a crippling brain condition. Also, every time you say something or write something down, you are also monitoring yourself to check out whether it continues to be true or getting worse. In so doing, you might be suffering this effect due to the anxiety that this is causing - you mind is so much more focused on the fear than on the word, which confirms that the word is somehow different in your head now.
I didn’t mean to sound like I was dismissive of your issues. I just think it’s absurd that a bunch of people with zero clinical experience jump to the worst possible conclusions (which, if it is anxiety, will just make this worse)
I just want to say that must be really frustrating. Do you experience it when reading or only when writing? They’re different thought processes. Reading is just decoding but in writing you have to come up with the word to express the idea. Sounds like something is interrupting that process and making you doubt your choices. If it’s interfering with work it’s significant enough to talk to a doctor about.
The phenomenon I think you’re referring to is semantic satiation (thanks Ted Lasso!). It has to do with semantic memory and I think the effect can happen to anyone in the right setting. But if you’re noticing a difference or having trouble you may want to speak to your primary care physician about semantic memory disorders.
Aphasia or apraxia resultant of a stroke or a head injury in that occured in the past couple months?
Have you had a head injury or possibly a stroke?
I have not had head injuries lately. I have started a new position in my company as of November, but my work area is pretty well regulated air-wise… head injuries I’ve had occurred more than 15y ago. I am just curious if anyone else has had this experience happen suddenly
It’s normal thing most of us experience. I’ve read a few more recent studies about it, but afaik there is no certaon explanaition yet. Here’s an excerpt from wikipedia describing it:
“A study by Chris Moulin of Leeds University asked 92 volunteers to write out “door” 30 times in 60 seconds. In July 2006 at the 4th International Conference on Memory in Sydney he reported that 68 percent of volunteers showed symptoms of jamais vu, such as beginning to doubt that “door” was a real word. Moulin believes that a similar brain fatigue underlies some symptoms of schizophrenia and Capgras delusion. Moulin suggests that people with these conditions could be suffering from chronic jamais vu.[1]” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamais_vu
Just yesterday I was convinced that Josh was fake.
