Have you ever wondered why you can't stop thoughts about an unfinished work from popping up in your head? It could be a soap-opera, an half-read novel, an incomplete project, a word you shouldn't have said or perhaps something you didn't say but you wanted to. Your brain wants to know what's next, how does the story end!, when/where is it over, can you fix this, how do you fix this?
There are many times I have found myself guilty of not saying the right words and the memory continues to replay in my heard over and over again, constantly haunting me with images of what could have been. It's an incomplete feeling that doesn't feel right without its conclusion.
The reason it's so hard to stop thinking about incomplete task is down to a phenomenon psychologist refer to as the Zeigarnik effect.
What is The Zeigarnik Effect?
The Zeigarnik effect is a psychological phenomenon describing a tendency to remember interrupted or incomplete task or events more easily than tasks that have been completed. This phenomenon was first noticed in the early 1900s and has been reproduced in a number of studies.
It is named after Russian psychologist Blum Zeigarnik, as she was the one who first observed the phenomenon.
How it works
Sensory memory is where information received through our five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — is stored temporarily before it moves to the short-term memory.
It moves to our short-term memories only if we pay attention to the information. Many of these short-term memories are forgotten fairly quickly, but when a task isn't complete, our brains constantly rehearse it to keep the information active.
That is what creates the underlying cognitive tension. Once we complete the task, the information is easily forgotten. Basically, when we have an unfinished task, we can't help but torture ourselves by recalling it, over and over again, to keep it in our short-term memories. Our brains can't let it go until it's done.
How to Make the Most of It
More than just being an interesting observation about how the human brain works, the Zeigarnik effect can actually have implications in your day-to-day life. You can even use this psychological phenomenon to your advantage. Common sense might tell you that finishing a task is the best way to approach a goal. The Zeigarnik effect instead suggests being interrupted during a task is an effective strategy for improving your ability to remember information.
You can apply the Zeigarnik effect to:
1. Get More Out of Your Study Sessions
If you are studying for an exam, break up your study sessions rather than try to cram it all in the night before the test. By studying information in increments, you will be more likely to remember it until test day. If you are struggling to memorize something important, momentary interruptions might actually work to your advantage.
Rather than simply repeat the information over and over again, review it a few times and then take a break. While you are focusing on other things, you will find yourself mentally returning to the information you were studying.
By designing your study sessions with appropriate breaks involving unrelated activities, you are likely to experience more intrusive thoughts about the topics you cover and may be better able to reflect on and consolidate these thoughts.
2. Overcoming Procrastination
Oftentimes, we put off tasks until the last moment, only completing them in a frenzied rush at the last possible moment in order to meet a deadline. Unfortunately, this tendency can not only lead to a great deal of stress, but it can also result in poor performance. One way to overcome procrastination is to put the Zeigarnik effect to work.
Start by taking the first step, no matter how small. Once you've begun—but not finished—your work, you will find yourself thinking of the task until, at last, you finish it. You might not finish it all at once, but each small step you take puts you closer to your final goal. This approach can not only help motivate you to finish, but it can also lead to a sense of accomplishment once you finally finish a job and you are able to apply your mental energies elsewhere.
3. Generate Interest and Attention
Advertisers and marketers also utilize the Zeigarnik effect to encourage consumers to purchase products. Filmmakers, for example, create movie trailers designed to attract attention by leaving out critical details. They draw the viewers' attention but leave people wanting more. In order to obtain all the details, people must then venture out to the box office or buy the movie once it comes out on home release.
Television programs also make use of this strategy. Episodes often end during a moment of high action, leaving the fate of characters or the outcome of the situation unresolved. In order to resolve the tension created by such cliffhanger endings, viewers have to remember to tune in for the next episode to find out what happens.
Also if want the recipient of your email to open and read the message? Try using ellipses instead of a full stop in your headline. The ellipses will leave the reader feeling like "there's more to this," and they'll be sure to open your email.
4. Promote Mental Well-Being
As you might imagine, the Zeigarnik effect is not necessarily always beneficial. When you fail to complete tasks, they can prey on your mind, intruding on your thoughts and creating stress. These invasive thoughts can lead to feelings of anxiety and contribute to sleep disturbances.
However, the effect can also play a role in overcoming such difficulties. Repeated thoughts can motivate people to finish the tasks they have started. Completing these tasks can then lead to feelings of accomplishment, self-esteem, and self-confidence.
Final Notes
In the course of living your life, you will not always have the right words or do the right things and like memory of this incomplete events might haunt you until it doesn't, there is no easy way to let go but it is good to know that the Zeigarnik phenomenon is not without its positives and you can adopt these to help you accomplish your goals and heal faster.
Question
How have you dealt with intrusive thoughts in your own experiences?
WordPress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment