Tracking Down the "Embarrassing Memory" Noise
Submitted by Merlin on July 23, 2008 - 6:44am.
Compelled to Blurt… | Ask Metafilter
Like a lot of people in this Ask Metafilter thread, I thought I was the only person in the universe who made an unconscious little noise when remembering something stupid I did or said.
It’s not especially loud, in fact it’s often under my breath. The sound is usually just a quiet grunt, or a word/syllable or two. If I remember an embarrassing conversation, I tend to blurt out a random word of the conversation (as in, I’m replaying the dialogue in my head but then all the sudden one of the words pops out of my mouth). If it happens while I’m reading, I tend to blurt out one or two of the words that happen to be under my eyes at the moment.
For context, my tic (which can also be heard when someone near me does something dumb) sounds a little like the noise Leo Bloom makes after he falls on his keys (00:34). “Ooooooom….”
The Question to You
Anyone else do this? Anybody out there qualified to talk about the psychology or neuroscience behind this apparent phenomenon? I’ll bet there’s a cool, scientific name for it.
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Few of my oooooom moments
Oh, cugel these are good. You could easily be on our podcast.
I make the noise when I remember the time…
…when I was 13 that a big bunch of people were talking about where to eat, and when asked for a suggestion I said, “I’m expendable”…
…when I was in college and asked a simply-heavy-set waitress when her baby was due…
…when I was 12 and customarily wore white painters pants with a striped shirt and “Mork from Ork” rainbow suspenders…
…not three weeks ago when I asked the Borders guy where the books on “improv writing” were located…
Okay. I better stop. My throat’s getting sore.