The Zeigarnik effect and memory: obsessive thoughts
Have you ever felt anxious or even guilty about an unfinished task? Have you ever put off work for later, and as a result, you couldn’t fall asleep at night, constantly replaying that unfinished task in your mind? Why can we forget something important after a couple of days, but can’t get some trivial detail out of our heads for years?
This phenomenon isn't driven by conscience, the habit of finishing tasks, or a personal streak of perfectionism. This effect is characteristic of all people to one degree or another and has been known to psychologists for a long time.
If this has happened to you, then you have experienced the Zeigarnik effect. At its core, the Zeigarnik effect explains how unfinished tasks create internal tension, forcing us to remember them again and again and return to them in our thoughts.
About the Zeigarnik effect
Your brain never rests. It constantly turns to the tasks you have started. On one hand, this causes us to suffer from anxiety and discomfort. On the other hand, it provides the necessary drive to finish what you started.
The Zeigarnik effect is often used by creators of TV shows and series to make you wait for the next episode. Episodes are specially created with a sense of suspense, which builds intrigue and leaves the audience eager for the next installment.
You have probably encountered this effect when you were a student or schoolchild. Remember how well you knew all the information before the exam? After successfully passing the exam, most of this knowledge simply evaporated, and a few days later, it would be much more difficult to pass the same exam. This is normal. The task is completed, the need to use this information has disappeared, and your brain simply erases it from memory.
How was this effect discovered?
In the 1920s, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik was relaxing in a restaurant and noticed that the waiter was doing a great job of taking orders without a notebook. Even very large orders were executed with amazing accuracy. Perhaps this waiter had a phenomenal memory? When she asked him about it, the waiter said that almost all of his colleagues worked the same way and that he had never had a good memory. Zeigarnik discovered that the waiter remembered all the orders that had not yet been served, but forgot them almost immediately once the dishes were delivered to the table. This led her to think that the brain perceives completed and unfinished tasks differently — keeping active tasks in focus until they are done, then releasing them to make room for new ones.
About Zeigarnik's research
A series of experiments followed in which students were given various cognitive tasks. The researcher arbitrarily determined the time for each task and had the opportunity to announce that the time was up, even if the task was not yet finished.
Zeigarnik found that unfinished problems were recalled by students 90% more often than completed problems. She concluded that there was a significant advantage in retaining interrupted problems in memory compared to solved problems. Her article, “On Completed and Unfinished Problems,” published in 1927, contains extensive evidence of her initial research on this effect.
Other studies supporting the Zeigarnik effect
The existence of the Zeigarnik effect was confirmed by British psychologist Alan Baddeley. He used sets of anagrams in his experiment. Participants were given a limited time to solve anagrams, and the answer word was provided to them only if they failed to solve the anagram within the specified time.
Interestingly, all participants were able to recall the unsolved anagrams significantly better than those they had successfully solved. Thus, completed processes and tasks provide a sense of satisfaction, quickly becoming a thing of the past and making room for new tasks in our memory.
Criticism
Not all studies have confirmed the Zeigarnik effect. Experiments have found that the effect is significantly affected by the level of motivation when performing a task. Actions performed with strong personal motivation are remembered better when they are completed, rather than when they are interrupted for some reason.
In addition, people with high motivation will be more concerned about tasks they cannot complete than people with low motivation.
How it works
Our short-term memory has a limited capacity, meaning we can only hold a small amount of information for a short period of time.
Here you can take a free short-term memory test.
To remember more information, we need to periodically retrieve it from long-term memory, which can require significant mental effort. The more information we try to remember at once, the more difficult it is to recall later. In this way, the brain simply tries to save energy.
This is especially important for waiters, who need to remember the details of their customers' orders until they finish their meal and leave the restaurant.
Brainteasers and crossword puzzles are excellent tools for this mental reboot. They help sharpen your recall and significantly improve memory retention. This mental reboot is actually driven by the Zeigarnik effect. We essentially juggle this information, throwing it away, then returning it to our consciousness again. The more we focus on unfinished processes, the less likely we are to forget about them.
Interestingly, even long-forgotten tasks can linger in your subconscious, retaining an element of stress that affects your behavior. Such tasks should be completed, if possible.
With the help of the Zeigarnik effect, we can clearly understand the principle by which our memory works. When information is perceived, it is stored in short-term memory. If information is used often, it can gradually move to the long-term part of our memory, although most memories will eventually disappear without ever reaching long-term memory. Starting a task creates psychological tension that does not dissipate until the task is completed. This constantly motivates us to complete the task to get rid of the tension. Our desire to complete tasks affects our memory and behavior. This is why we tend to seek a sense of completion and dislike uncertainty.
How to use this effect to your advantage?
Can you use the Zeigarnik effect to your advantage? Basically, it can be used as a time management tool and to quickly achieve small goals. When you start a task, try to complete it before moving on to the next one. This way, you will not have a lot of unfinished tasks that create a feeling of psychological burden.
Memorize information gradually for better learning results. Do not wait until the last moment before an exam to start studying. Instead, try to space out your study sessions over several days. This way, the information will more effectively transfer from your short-term memory to long-term memory, and you will be able to remember more.
If you need to memorize something important in a short time, it is worth taking short breaks. Repeat a few times and then take a break. Don't repeat the information over and over again. Try to mentally return to the information you've learned at times when you're focused on other issues.
Overcoming Procrastination
The hardest part is starting a task. At this point, we switch to anything to put off work. Our brain resists. To overcome this, break the task down into several small steps. As soon as you start the first step, you'll find yourself thinking about the next steps.
By doing this, you can quickly achieve your goal because the task will be completed much more efficiently than if you try to do everything at once. Your mind will have a clearer picture of the step-by-step achievement of the final goal. You can calmly complete one task and move on to the next step.
The importance of interest and attention
Today, some methods of memorizing information use the Zeigarnik effect. For example, filmmakers, bloggers, and reporters use it to keep the audience's attention. They end a series or video in a way that leaves you with open questions and waiting for the continuation. Using this interruption tactic has been shown to have a positive impact on both audience engagement and recall.
Marketers also use the Zeigarnik effect to some extent, focusing on the first seconds of a video, unexpected plot twists, and intentional ambiguity in characters' actions. This approach helps to better remember the advertisement.
Mental well-being
People need to complete the tasks they start. Unfinished tasks haunt and do not give us peace. Of course, there are people with a high level of tolerance for unfinished tasks, but most will experience discomfort.
The Zeigarnik effect is a legacy of evolution. The more we are bothered by unfinished business, the faster we start to complete it, and this works in our favor. After completing the task, we feel more confident, calm and satisfied.
Conclusion
Waiters are a classic example: they remember every detail of an order while it is still being served, but forget it almost immediately once the dishes reach the table. Want to ensure you get a product or service faster? Take a tip from the Zeigarnik effect—hold off on the final payment until the very last moment. Keeping the 'task' open in the provider's mind ensures they stay focused on completing it.