How does the brain perform when someone experiences slipping?

In 1988, George H.W Bush, then vice president of the United States, said: "We've had some sex… uh… setbacks." in which he was supposed to give a speech on the success of the agricultural policy he finished with President Reagan. Long after his political career was etched into the history books, only this tragic slip was remembered by the wider public of Bush's senior leadership.

There are some things that you really want to say, things that you can "forgive" when you accidentally miss them, and there are also things that can trigger disaster if you say words - which, like it or not, often come out of your mouth. Make no mistake. This is the biggest fear of any public speaker. But what really causes you to be lax when you speak?

Slipped out, a sign of long-buried heart intent?

A slip, sprain, or slack is a popular term used today in a comedic way when someone makes a mistake while speaking. In this situation, the chatter or the audience often "teases" the speaker that the blunder is actually what he is honestly trying to say.

In the world of psychology, a slip is also called a Freudian slip, which describes verbal or memory errors that are believed to be related to the subconscious mind. Common examples include calling your spouse's name by the name of your ex, saying the wrong word, or even misrepresenting a written or spoken word. Is a well-known psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, who initiated this slip theory.

"Two factors seem to play a role in bringing 'intentions' to the conscious human mind: first, the effort of attention, and second, the inner determinants inherent in psychic matter," Freud says in his book, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. "Apart from simply forgetting names, there are other situations of forgetfulness that are motivated by emotional silencing," Freud continued. Namely, making out. He suspects that unacceptable thoughts or beliefs are being held back from consciousness, and it is these "slip up" moments that help you to realize and reveal the true contents of your heart.

Although Freud conveyed many hidden meanings behind the reasons we let go when we speak, making out is nothing but an inevitable part of life. According to Very Well, a person generally makes one to two mistakes for every 1,000 words they say. This number ranges from 7-22 verbal voices on average each day, depending on how much the person talks. If Freud is right, then each of us is a time bomb waiting to explode.

How is the process of falling out?

Cognitive expert Gary Dell, professor of linguistics and psychology at the University of Illinois, was quoted as saying by Psychology Today that the tongue shows a person's capacity to use language and its components. Dell argues that concepts, words, and sounds are linked in three networks in the brain - semantic, lexical, and phonological - and the way of speaking arises from the interaction of the three. But every now and then, these brain networks, which operate through a process called "diffuse activation," often trip over one another (due to similar word concepts, ambiguous pronunciation, associations between similar words, or just mere brain "error"). The result is a tongue sprain. And this, he believes, is a good thing. An error-prone language-production system allows for the production of new words. Non-speech is the main testament to the flexibility of language, evidence of the great dexterity of the human mind.

One of the most common types of speech errors that linguists have identified is what is called "banalization," the replacement of a word meant by one that is more familiar or simpler. There is also spoonerism (named after the pastor Willam Archibald Spooner who is often mispronounced), namely slippage of speech that causes us to flip through words in sentences due to the "spread activation" of words in the racing brain. So, be "Kaya base thrifty" or "Cows like my milk".

In the 1980s, psychologist Daniel Wegner theorized that a brain system that aims to prevent you from blurring may be your weapon. According to the theory, the subconscious process is constantly exploring our minds to keep our deepest desires locked in. Instead of holding the thought muffled, the subconscious passes it to your brain, causing you to think about it in a conscious state. So, it's just a matter of counting down before you actually make the point.

“When we think about something, we prioritize the choice of words that are relevant to that topic; they are being prepared to be spoken by mouth for the times we need them, "said Michael Motley, a psychologist from the University of California Davis, quoted by the BBC. With each action, the brain has to edit the alternative words in the mind competing with each other to emerge; when the editing process fails, mistakes occur.

In addition, the mind can be provoked by a well-timed bait. For example, at lunch with a friend who wears a shiny blue watch. You may subconsciously call on the waiter to order a "watch" instead of a "spoon" because your dining companion's watch is stealing your attention. This slackness of speech, in essence, does not represent the deepest dark desires Freud said, even though such an offense may expose something that catches our attention without our own awareness.

People who are nervous are more prone to slipping, those with OCD are more immune

The majority of spoken slips are nothing more than the wrong activation of the language skills network and speaking in the brain. Like a twitching eye, system errors can occur and not every error has a profound meaning.

However, everyone is different in their susceptibility to speaking out. As reported by research belonging to Donald Broadbent of Cambridge University, quoted by the NY Times. Some evidence, for example, suggests that people with obsessive-compulsive personalities are relatively more immune to tongue sprains.

This factor is more about the person's success in sorting out words and suppressing competing word choices to appear. In order to choose an action - speaking, making gestures - the mind must simultaneously suppress such a large variety of potential alternatives. When the mind fails to suppress an overflow of potential alternatives for action, flashiness occurs. Those with OCD have a better "programming" control over their actions.

Besides, focus is an important factor. The more attention you put into one action, the less likely it is that there will be an alternative, unwanted response. When the brain is not optimally focused, alternative responses are more likely to fill in the gaps in the brain that are supposed to be filled by what we mean, so we are more prone to slipping.

Researchers at Oxford University found that people who were generally nervous made more speech errors. The Oxford researchers interpreted these findings also in terms of attention, rather than psychodynamic causes. They suggest that the worry of the anxious person and his self-immersed preoccupation with whatever he may be doing at hand for the attention of the brain, leaving him vulnerable to lethargy.

What's more, someone who is prone to one kind of error - such as blunder - appears to be just as susceptible to all sorts of other trivial mistakes; for example, stumbling when there are no obstacles and also forgetting names. This fact, in the view of the researcher, points to a general factor exerting influence in all aspects of mental functioning. In addition, the faster you speak, the more likely the brain's communication network from previous word processing is still "hot"; the more stimulation the speech-ability network experiences, the more likely it is that you will speak out.

It is true that some cases of blinking may indeed reveal the subconscious thoughts and feelings of the speaker, but in many other cases, carelessness is simply a matter of memorizing errors, language errors, and other trivial mistakes that are nothing to worry about.