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Tracking Down the "Embarrassing Memory" Noise
Merlin Mann | Jul 23 2008
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.
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 YouAnyone 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. 26 Comments
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 Embarrassing Memories: The MusicalSubmitted by waderockett on July 23, 2008 - 9:32am.
With me it might start as a "Hmm" or a grunt or a muttered "Oh, God." It feels like the sound's been wrenched out of me. The problem is that the memory of one stupid, embarrassing thing I did triggers a cascade of other horrible memories. When this happens, I find myself singing or humming quietly in a desperate attempt to distract my brain. It's sort of like the murderer in Bester's SF novel The Demolished Man blanking his mind against telepaths by thinking of a catchy commercial jingle. Musical moments: On two separate occasions in college I thought my friends would appreciate knowing that their ex-girlfriends had been hitting on me. Once I tried to bond with a co-worker by noting that we were both "kind of twitchy." He responded with a long, cold, silent stare. Another time I... ...oh, God. There's no business like show business, there's no business I know... » POSTED IN:
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