How to recognize words

Submitted ⁨⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨ettyblatant@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

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.

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stanka@lemmy.ml ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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.

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- ettyblatant@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  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)
  
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  - dumbcrumb@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Happens to me all the time but not with only 2-4 times. Maybe once ive said it like 15-20 times
    
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randomsnark@lemmy.ml ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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.

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maik@infosec.pub ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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.

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gibmiser@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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?

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- ettyblatant@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  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
  
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jeffw@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
As an alternative to the neurological issues others are proposing, it would be this weird new disease called crippling anxiety.

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- ettyblatant@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I am legitimately asking- is suddenly having a problem processing words attributable to anxiety?
  
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  - jeffw@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    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)
    
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