Was reading the Sunday comics in the local rag, and saw a strip called "Pickles" by Brian Crane. This character was eating ice cream too fast, and got that sensation I know we've all experienced … pain in the jaw/eye/forehead/temple caused by the cold temps. Crane used the term "brain freeze" to label that sensation.
I'm from the Midwest, and when I was a kid I think we called it an "ice cream headache." Not terribly elegant, but descriptive. My wife, from Milwaukee, also used "ice cream headache."
Google N-grams gives a curious result. Use of both terms starts climbing circa 1960, but there's a curious isolated spike for "brain freeze" around 1900. Have no idea what that might have been about.
I'd appreciate hearing equivalent terms from other parts of the country/world. What do you call this ubiquitous sensation? Thanks!
I've heard both of the terms used interchangeably, but I've never experienced it firsthand. Apparently it's one of the things I'm immune to, along with male-pattern hair loss and seasickness.
Heimhenge said:
...but there's a curious isolated spike for "brain freeze" around 1900. Have no idea what that might have been about...
When you do a search by picking the date range at the bottom of the graph, the books in that date range with the phrase in it will appear. An advanced search can be performed to isolate the peak to four books. Three of them are discussing literal "brain freeze" without any mention of ice cream. The fourth is a spurious result where "brain" ends one sentence and "freeze" starts another. HTH
Emmett
I grew up around, and live in, the same town (Reno, NV) as Brian Crane. At least around here, "Brain Freeze" is a fairly common description of the effect of eating ice cream too fast. In fact, I didn't know any other term until I read this thread.
In the undisclosed location in the United States where I live, I have also experienced these cold-stimulus headaches, which usually occurred when an Icee, milkshake, or other cold food or beverage came into contact with the roof of my mouth. Around here, I have only heard it referred to as a "brain freeze".