Date Published: 15 January 2026
Why a Post About Brain Farts?
I thought up a great topic for this first Life of Lauren WTF blog post. It was a great theme. Poignant. Interesting. And, a bit humorous. But, the next morning, when I sat down to start outlining the post, I couldn’t recall the subject matter I was going to discuss. My mind was blank. Not only could I not remember the great topic from the day before, but I couldn’t come up with any other ideas. Like Winnie the Pooh, I repeatedly pushed my index finger against my temple: “Think! Think!” And I still came up with nada.
I had a brain fart! Like, what the fuck?
So, here we are. The first blog post for “Life of Lauren, WTF?!” is about Lauren’s brain farting.
Lauren’s Favorite Brain Farts
You know the old joke about going into a room and then forgetting why? Have you ever done this?
Me neither. Kidding!
Another trick of mine is that while I am talking on my phone to someone, they will ask, “Lauren, what’s wrong?” I respond, “I lost my phone, I can’t find my phone.” Shortly after, I realized the dumb thing was in my hand the whole time.
We all brain fart. Think about the last time you brain-farted. Is there a common thread?
I like to prepare dinner from these box meals. Y’know, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, etc. I adore that the ingredients are portioned. I don’t have to buy a half-pound of parsley in order to add 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley to the recipe. After a couple of weeks, that half-pound bunch of parsley turns into a gross mush in my fridge. Eww!
Well, those box meals also come with a recipe card, and while they guide me through how to cook the meal, they also have a lot of different steps to go through. One usually involves making a sauce: a little mayo, water, salt, pepper, lemon juice, stir it all up, and set aside. I continue with searing the chicken, steaming the vegetables, fluffing the rice, setting the table, and selecting the wine. The list goes on. After sitting down, finishing the meal, and clearing the table, I go into the fridge for dessert, and there is the sauce staring at me. I can’t recall how many times that brain fart has happened. I have only 10 slots in my brain, and that sauce must be number 11.
So, what the fuck is up with this? Why does this happen?
Well, one reason is multi-tasking. There are many, many things we are doing at any moment in our lives. And, sometimes, our brain just skips one or two.
Triggers for Brain Farts
An April 16th, 2012 article from LiveScience.com, titled “10 Everyday Things that Cause Brain Farts,” by Natalie Wolchover, offers an interesting, at times tongue-in-cheek, review of common triggers for a brain fart.
- Doors – Psychologists at the University of Notre Dame call going through a door an “event boundary” in our minds. One’s mind will store the information from the previous location (room) away and start fresh in the new location (new room). The problem is that the reason I went into the new room is now stored away, and I can’t retrieve it immediately. Now, why am I here?
- The Moon is another trigger for brain farts. One evening, now bear with me, I am on a date walking on the sidewalk to our restaurant. It is a beautiful autumn evening in Seattle with a harvest moon setting behind the Olympic Mountains on the other side of Puget Sound.
It is our second date, and we run into a couple of my friends. I attempt to introduce my date and direct my hand towards her as one does during an introduction. I then say “…and, this is…” [pause] I just stare at her with a pained expression. I turn and glance at my friends and look back at her. Finally, she graciously introduces herself to my friends as she gives me The Evil Eye. Needless to say, this is our last date.
Well, it turns out the Ponzo Illusion (the moon looking larger when it is closer to the horizon, even though it is the same size regardless of where it is in the sky) causes brain farts. The effect is messing with my head, and my mind is working to resolve the “discrepancy” between what I think we’re seeing and what my brain knows. Hence, the extra processing makes me forget my date’s name, among other things.
Who knew? - Smoke Detectors. Well, the beeping they make, like when the battery needs to be replaced. Any beeping, actually, can trigger a brain fart, such as a truck backing up, an electronic timer going off, or a microwave oven’s end-of-cook signal. Beeping is an unnatural sound and irritates one’s brain so much that one forgets what one is thinking about.
- Photographs – Our conscious brains say, “photos, cool.” But, photographs aren’t real, just images of real things. Your subconscious can’t decide whether the photo is real or not. That causes your mind to punt what you were thinking about before you started “awing” over pictures of your newborn niece.
- The color Red-Green hits a blind spot in the brain. Blue and Red combine to make purple, but red light cancels the effect of green light. The brain can’t decode it. Like Pi, the mind goes on forever trying to solve the conundrum of Red-Green. In the meantime, I brain fart about picking up mom at the airport.
- Wheel spin. Due to how our brains process motion, especially spinning motion, car wheels appear to not spin or to spin backward while the car is going forward… whaaat?
This reminds me of when I went to the store for some eggs and when I get home I realize I brain farted and bought all kinds of groceries except eggs. I am upset that now I need to waste the gas (and dollars) to drive back to the store and pick up those eggs, which are expensive too. I jump into my car, and as I reach the end of the driveway, A car drives by and its wheels aren’t spinning. Now, I don’t know whether to turn left or right. “Which store did I just go to?” - Bright lights. For some people, bright lights cause them to reactively sneeze. They have no real control over the effect. It is called “photic sneeze reflex.” For some of us, we are just like a deer in the headlights and space on what we are doing or need to be doing. This is caused by a neural mix-up between the involuntary pupil shrinkage due to light and the sneeze reflex. Pupillary light reflex meet photic sneeze reflex. Brain: “I’m confused?”
- Wide open spaces. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybergenetics in Germany found that blindfolded (simulating wide open spaces without directional references) people walk in ever tightening circles despite thinking they are walking straight. Without references like buildings or a mountains, our body can’t adjust appropriately, and little brain farts accumulate because the mind can’t recalibrate our sense of direction.
- Shadows diminish our brain’s ability to determine the lightness and darkness of colors. Because light is needed to create the shadow, perhaps this brain fart isn’t that big of a deal.
- Phones, of course! Today’s phones are little engines of multitasking hell. Alarms, badges, Bing-Bing: mom! Ding: Honey your husband is lost in grocery store looking for the allspice. Bing-diiing-da-ding: Time to pick up the other child from soccer. DING: 50% off cake mix at Safeway!
Our Brains are bombarded with data, information, and sales pitches all day. Constantly. Our minds finally say, “Enough! I can’t take it no more.” Consequently, new input or output cannot be processed, resulting in brain farts.
Why Do We Have Brainfarts?
What is a brain fart, anyway? Well, dictionary.com defines brain fart as:
“a brief mental lapse, especially an instance of forgetfulness or confusion.”
Not only did my research reveal triggers for brief mental lapses, but it also revealed some reasons we have those lapses. I don’t know about you, but those little mental lapses always seem to make me feel stupid or embarrassed. There is a bit of shame with brain farting. Or regular farting, too, I suppose. But, I need to remind myself that both are totally natural and happen to everyone.
Default Mode Network (DMN)
A May 13, 2024 article was posted by SkillPath, “The Brain Fart – What Causes It?” by Brenda R. Smyth. Her article refers to another article published by Discover Magazine in December of 2009 and also refers to study conducted in 2007. They mention Default Mode Network (DMN).
- DMN is a minimal power mode the brain goes into when engaged in inward thinking (e.g. daydreaming). It frequently happens during repetitive or mundane tasks.
- Repetitive and monotonous tasks. If we look back to the door trigger, we not only cross an event boundary, but we have probably gone into that room many, many times. Repeatedly. It has perhaps also become quite mundane. So, we have the event boundary, and the DMN because of the repetitiveness and mundaneness of walking into that room.
- Reduced blood flow to brain. The articles also point out that the 2007 study showed a reduction in blood flow to the brain when it was about to embark on repetitive tasks. Event boundary, DMN, and reduced blood flow, a trifecta of brain fartedness. No wonder we never know why we went into any room.
How many times have you been having sex, and you call out “oh, Brad” (Brad Pitt) instead of your partner’s name? Blame DMN. Repetition, perhaps some mundaneness, reduced blood flow, and your daydreaming takes over. Lauren always daydreams that it’s Brad: the sexiest man in Hollywood, in her opinion. Is it hot in here?
As Dr. Stefan Debener, a collaborator on the 2007 study of brain farts, explains, “Autopilot would be a better metaphor.” We go into a room many times, or have the same activity over and over. It becomes automatic. We don’t think about it, and so our brain just cruises, reduces power, and we forget where we are, or who we are with. Yikes!
Everyone Brain Farts, and That’s Okay
So, I go to the store and brain farted on picking up eggs, or whatever. Upset and humiliated (even though I’m in the car alone) that I have to go back to the store to pick up those eggs. I don’t know whether to turn right or left out of the driveway because I brain farted on which store I need to return to. A double brain fart whammy. Yes, color me very embarrassed. What do you do to get over your loss of face when you forget to bring home the eggs when they were the only reason for going to the store? Or, when you forget which store you were just shopping at?
Well, according to a Feb 8, 2025 article in Medium.com, “We All Have Brain Farts And It’s OK To Have Them,” by Sentual Strong, there is no need to be ashamed for having a brain fart.
In the article, the author explains that everyone has brain farts and there are strategies to deal with it. But the best suggestion is: “Don’t ever just shut down and never give your best foot forward off of one brain fart you had or two. “
He’s basically saying, “don’t let a brain fart stop you, just keep moving forward, girl.”
I mean, consider Einstein. Yes, he had brain farts. And he still came up with the theory of relativity even after he was staring into space wondering what he forgot.
Think of Thomas Edison and Elon Musk (although, two otherwise contemptible fellows, but considered smart by many people), they have had or continue to have brain farts.
Sentual is advising us to just own our brain farts and not to feel bad or ashamed about it (Easier said than done, I know.)
Just Own It, Baby!
One of my biggest concerns with brain farts is not only what people think, but I am always worried someone will make a mean comment or worse – laugh at me.
A favorite actor of mine is Helen Mirren, more so for who she is off-screen than the characters she plays. Once she was asked if she could go back in time and tell her younger self one thing, what would it be? Her response: Say “fuck off” more and stop being so bloody polite.
I share this story because if someone says something mean or laughs at me for my brain fart, I just think of Dame Helen, and respond appropriately. Stand up to mean people!
However, there are times when my brain fart leads to more than embarrassment. Like, if I miss lunch with a friend or miss a deadline because of my juggling too many balls. The results affect the relationships I have with others. Those relationships can be personal or professional. Personal relationships can be impacted by forgotten birthdays, missed appointments, and generally result in a person’s hurt feelings.
Brain farts can also affect professional relationships. This can impact business prospects, customer satisfaction, trust, payments, etc. So, what to do when a brain fart happens at a critical time? Well, as I mentioned before, just own it: “I forgot, but I will make it right.” And then, clean up the mess.
When I talk to a client, I usually have client’s Salesforce notes on screen, Slack open, Outlook announcing my next call in 15 minutes, Jira updating project tickets, etc. etc. It’s no wonder I don’t mess up things with clients more often. But, when I have messed something up, I try to inject some humor. We’ve all had mishaps at work. A client has, too. I laugh about what happened, not in a dismissive way, but in a way to suggest camaraderie in our common humanness. And, then I suggest a path of reconciliation. “oh, I missed that report. I’ll get that info to you tomorrow morning..” or something like that.
But everyone brain farts, and if it happens to me, I just own it. There is a sense of empowerment and freedom I receive when I just own something that is embarrassing. One thing I don’t do enough is to have compassion for myself. It is hard for me to cut myself some slack and just admit I am not perfect. Having some compassion for oneself is one of the best ways to give self-care.
When Others Brain Fart
Has this ever happened to you? You are brushing your teeth in your pajamas, getting ready for some deserved sleep after a tiring day. Your seventh grader sheepishly approaches – parents, you know what happens next – and informs you that a term paper/science project/papier mache of something famous is due tomorrow. Aaaaargh!
Or you are sitting in that Thai place you and your friend took forever to agree on for lunch. Then you receive a text an hour late, indicating that your friend brain-farted on the lunch
Or your co-worker of five years forgot your name.
How did someone else’s brain fart make you feel? Did you cut them some slack or not? I try – although not always successfully – to give them a break. If roles are reversed, I hope they have some compassion for me (because lord knows, I won’t have any for myself). I’m sure they are embarrassed and appreciate a kind response.
Depending on what the brain fart affects, I might give the other person some time to breathe and remember what the data said about the Northwest market. Or maybe I ask them what I can do to help them pull together the sales report they spaced on, due to the CEO tomorrow (no less). Or, in a friendly tone, simply ask them to clean up the mess they may have created. We all have busy lives and are constantly multitasking, especially at work. And, with my poor child, I’m never sure if the last-minute schoolwork is due to avoidance or truly a brain fart. I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt, though. I mean, everything is new to them. They have tons to worry about. Schoolwork, learning social skills, keeping track of classes, after-school event schedules, social life, etc., etc. It is a lot to deal with for someone with so little life experience. Plus, there is the anxiety of puberty and feelings of romance. I am still learning a lot of these things, and I have several decades of experience beyond them!
Everyone has mental lapses (brain farts), and we all deserve kindness, considering how fast-paced things are in the world today.
How to Avoid Brain Farts
We now know about brain fart triggers. We know why they occur and what to do when they occur. But, Lauren, how do I reduce my number of Brain Farts. What can I do so I don’t have brain farts?
You are not going to completely get rid of brain farts. However, there are tactics to help reduce the quantity of mental lapses you experience.
In the process of creating this post, I have curated several articles, including:
“What Really Happens Up There During a Brain Fart?” by Kendra Cherry, MSEd, published 16 August 2024 on VeryWellMind.com
“Brain Farts: 9 ways your brain can make you feel stupid” by Helen Thomson dated 20 September 2017 on NewScientist.com
And, the already mentioned SkillPath.com article “The Brain Fart – What Causes It?”
From these sources, and others, I have come up with a non-exhaustive list of some actions you can take to address mental lapses.
- Exercise your brain: This might be the only time someone might recommend watching television. But, if it’s Jeopardy, then it’s good. But don’t only watch Jeopardy, actively play it. Pretend that the contestant buzzer is in your hand and you are competing. Try to ask the right questions, like “Who is Brad Pitt?” to the answer “this actor is Lauren’s favorite hottest Hollywood man of 2026.”
- Learn a language: Learning a new language causes more neural pathways to be created and used by the old noggin. I have been trying to learn a new language for the last ten years. Can’t speak French, yet, but at least my brain farting is being reduced.
- Play games. Well, at least games that make you think hard, like Sudoku, other word puzzles, the New York Times crossword puzzle, all help brain function as does solving the Riemann Hypothesis.
- Multi-tasking bad: Staying off your phone helps. Staying organized helps. We tend to spend less than a second on any one thing. Paying attention to an item for 3 seconds or more will reduce the number of things we need to remember and provide space for things we don’t wish to forget, and thus reducing our incidence of brain farting. And as mentioned before, all the info coming into the phone with its dings, bings, and buzzing is overloading our brains.
- Humor: Moments of levity can help the mind recall things better. I don’t remember where I read this. But, here’s a mom joke to get you started.
I told my child I was going to buy them a book on procrastination, but I keep putting it off.
- Take a break: Not a break where you switch from one multi-tasking device (your PC with Slack, Outlook, Salesforce, Jira, etc.) to your phone with doom scrolling, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Candy Crush, but a break with no devices so your brain has a few minutes to recover.
Think of some activities that do not involve either phone or PC. Walk around the block. If you work from home, take the dog. They’re probably dying to get outside for a walk with you anyway. Read a chapter of a book. Make a cup of tea. Stare out the window and ponder your existence. The idea is to give your mind some downtime now, rather than at a more inopportune moment.
Let’s Review, In Case We Brain Fart
We all have brain farts. What a relief, too. It isn’t just me. Even Einstein would forget bits of his theory of relativity while staring into space. No reason to be ashamed of experiencing a brain fart from time to time.
A brain fart is just a mental lapse. The brain has reached an event boundary, is simply trying to conserve energy from multitasking overload, is confused by the moon, or is returning to the low power mode of DMN (Default Mode Network) due to some boring tasks.
We just need to own our brain farts and clean up any messes. Oh, sorry for calling you Brad. I know your name is Theopolis. No, no. You’re beautiful. It was wonderful.
This is not an exhaustive list, but some tactics for reducing brain farts are similar to self-care:
- Get plenty of sleep
- Take breaks
- Eat a balanced diet
- Watch TV (well, Jeopardy and participate in the mental exercise)
- And, mind phone usage (i.e., reduce multitasking)
- Of course, saying, “What the Fuck?!,”after a brain fart is Lauren-approved! Helen Mirren might approve, too.
Try any of these tactics, and let us know how it went. Leave a comment at the end of this article. No trolling, or we’re sending it to the circular file. On fire.
Links Used in This Article
https://www.livescience.com/33841-10-everyday-brain-farts.html
https://www.mpg.de/596269/pressRelease200908171
https://skillpath.com/blog/brain-fart-causes
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-happens-during-a-brain-fart-8696089
Coming Up
Lauren’s next post concerns Women’s Clothing Sizes. Old Navy size 10, meet Ann Taylor size 12, meet DKNY size 16. Can’t all y’all clothing brands agree on the exact same sizing? I just want to know what size to shop for. Like, What The Fuck?!
Lauren will again go to The Google and curate the chaotic results to write about Women’s Sizing Standards, or lack thereof. She’ll also offer some tips for how to deal with those pesky inconsistent sizings. Don’t skip it.
Thank You! And, Send Us a Note
Thanks for spending the time to read this post. What topics make you say “What the Fuck?!” Do you wish Lauren would write about those? If you have any other suggestions or just want to send us good karma, go to LifeOfLauren.com, create an account, and directly send Lauren a private message. If you are gonna be mean, though, like Helen Mirren said, just fuck off!
Peace and love,
✌️ ❤️
Lauren
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