During silence, the brain consolidates, much as muscles strengthen after exertion, not during. This consolidation consists in making information fit together "

During silence, the brain consolidates, much as muscles strengthen after exertion, not during. This consolidation consists in making information fit together "better", by seeking patterns and other redundancies - resulting in both compression and insight. A role also assigned to sleep. It's more basic than intellectual consolidation, but things like the concept of a chair. (Not the philosphical concept of a chair, but some particular person's actual concept). But it also explains why we have spontaneous insight when disengaged, e.g. in the shower.