‘Lethologica’ or ‘Tip of the Tongue’ phenomena, describes the state of not being able to remember the name or word you want. Lethologica is derived from the Greek words lethe (forgetfulness) and logos (word).
Even though you know that you know the answer, the elusive information seems to be just outside of your mental reach. This feeling can be frustrating when you are experiencing it, but one of the upsides of lethologica is that it allows researchers to analyze different aspects of memory.
How do researchers explain lethologica? Language is an incredibly complex process. Most of the time, this process takes place so effortlessly that we barely give it a second thought. We think of something, the brain assigns words to represent these abstract ideas, and we speak what is on our minds. But because this process is so complex all kinds of things can go wrong, including the tip of the tongue moments.
When it happens, you might feel that the information is there just outside of your grasp. You know that you know the information, but it seems temporarily locked behind some sort of mental brick wall. When something finally does trigger the retrieval of the memory or when someone else offers up the missing information, the relief of those feelings of frustration is palpable.
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