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Friday, March 10, 2023

Zaigarnik effect is a psychological phenomenon where people remember incomplete or interrupted

 The Zaigarnik effect is a psychological phenomenon where people remember incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. This effect is named after the Russian psychologist Bluma Wulfovna Zaigaenik, who first observed it in the 1920s.

One classic experiment that demonstrated the Zaigarnik effect involved participants being given a series of tasks to complete. Some of the tasks were completed, while others were interrupted before they could be finished. The participants were then asked to recall the tasks they had completed. The results showed that the participants were more likely to remember the incomplete tasks than the completed ones.

This effect is thought to occur because incomplete tasks create a state of tension or mental discomfort, which leads to increased mental processing and attention. In contrast, completed tasks no longer require attention, and therefore may not be as memorable.

The Zaigarnik effect has been applied in various domains, such as advertising, where companies use cliffhangers or incomplete storylines to keep consumers engaged and increase brand recall. It has also been studied in the context of productivity and motivation, where researchers suggest that breaking down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable ones can increase motivation and reduce procrastination.

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