The Zeigarnik phenomenon: how to use your memory for productivity
Obsessive thoughts about unfinished business increase anxiety, prevent us from solving new tasks - this is how the “Zeigarnik effect” works, according to which the brain has the ability to focus more on what has not been done than on those tasks that we have completed. This effect can be put to good use to increase productivity and improve mental health. How exactly to do this, we will tell in our article.
How was the Zeigarnik effect discovered?
Kurt Lewin, a lecturer at the University of Berlin, a well-known psychologist, liked to hold seminars not within the walls of an educational institution, but in a cafe - he dined and discussed with his students. And on one of the training days, Kurt Lewin and his student Bluma Zeigarnik noticed that the waiter does not write down orders, even if they are quite voluminous and with additional clarifications from visitors. This has intrigued psychologists. They ordered this waiter and asked him to repeat what the guests at each table had ordered. The young man perfectly remembered the details of unpaid orders, but, as it turned out, he could not list those for which the account had already been closed.
The waiter's selective memory prompted the psychologist and the student to think: a person attaches different meanings to completed and unfinished business. Some time later, Bluma conducted a series of studies, devoting her thesis to this phenomenon. The discovery that Bluma Zeigarnik made and was named after her.
The phenomenon of unfinished business
With her experiments and observations, Bluma proved that we throw out the actions that are brought to completion, because if you have too many thoughts, then in the end it is impossible to focus on one thing. And the actions that remained unfinished "terrorize" our attention and distract from the current moment.
So, in one study, participants were divided into two groups. Each group received simple tasks: assemble puzzles, solve a puzzle or a mathematical problem. Only the members of one group were allowed to finish what they started, while the members of the other were not. Then they took a break for everyone, after which the researcher asked if the participants remembered the task and asked them to list them. It turned out that unfinished tasks were remembered almost twice as well as those that were completed. As a result, the researchers came to the conclusion that if a person is not given the opportunity to complete the work they have begun, they will not only be emotionally stressed, but will also remember the details of the task, retaining access to memory traces.
For example: Anna is preparing an important report. While working on it, the girl must stop and go to a meeting with her supervisor. When she returned, a colleague asked her to quickly sign the documents. At the same time, Anna makes coffee and answers a few simple letters. She then returns to her report. The employee cannot answer how many tasks she completed during the break period. All this time her thoughts were occupied with the unfinished report.
The Zeigarnik effect at work and everyday life
It should be noted that this effect can be an excellent motivational factor. Many people put things off until the last moment, especially when the task has no specific deadline. The Zeigarnik effect can boost your motivation and overcome procrastination.
As you know, started and unfinished tasks seem to “hang” in the head. If you have taken the first step towards solving them, then they will bother you until you finish them. Therefore, if you have a lot of tasks waiting for you at work that you put off every day, try to start doing them, you will think about them constantly and do your best to solve and forget about them.
For example: Sergey was asked to draw up a specific project without specifying a specific deadline for completing this task. Sergey was in no hurry to start work and every day he postponed the execution until later. However, he was well aware that in the end he had to do it, and the sooner the better. The employee started by creating several documents and giving them appropriate titles. The fact that the files for the new project have been on his desktop for several days does not let Sergey forget about the tasks. This motivates you to start working quickly and efficiently.
It is no exaggeration to say that this effect is a motivating factor and try to use it in your work and everyday life.
One of the most striking examples of the Zeigarnik effect is the fairy tale "A Thousand and One Nights". Scheherazade told part of the story and abruptly cut it off. Shah did not receive a completed picture, and it was important for him to understand what awaits the heroes next.
A similar technique is used in commercials and TV shows. With a high probability, viewers will return to the series interrupted at the most interesting place, rather than if the plot is completed.
Even 50 years ago, two scientists, J. Heimback and J. Jacoby, conducted research on the use of this effect in advertising. And they came to the conclusion: it is necessary that the video intrigues instantly, and the person feels some kind of incompleteness. It is important that there is understatement in the plot itself - in this case, the likelihood of remembering the brand increases.
Important conversations or meetings unexpectedly interrupted are remembered better - this is also the Zeigarnik effect. The lack of an element of completion leads to tension. People who have not reached an agreement are not able to fully switch their attention to other tasks.
Zeigarnik effect as a trap
However, the Zeigarnik effect can make you spend your time and energy on things that don't matter, feel compelled to close everything you start. It happens that you devote your energy and time to work, and in the end it does not bring results. Even if you know that you no longer need to do a certain job, it still spins in your mind.
For example: To get the job of her dreams, Ekaterina had to complete courses related to this position. She began training but continued to work in other fields to earn a living. It turned out that it was in this area that she felt more comfortable. Ekaterina took a sabbatical to start a new study, this time related to where she currently wants to develop. The girl no longer plans to return to the industry of her former dream, she is finishing her studies and doing an excellent job with her current job.
But Ekaterina still thinks that she should finish the training she started, although it is no longer relevant. Thoughts on this topic do not leave the girl, it is hard for her to completely forget the unfinished business, and because of this situation she is stressed.
In the course of her research, Zeigarnik substantiated the theory of Kurt Lewin, according to which every interaction between people or objects sets up a so-called tension.
So, if a lady had a date with a man she liked, after which the communication did not continue, she may reproduce the dialogue in her memory or even rearrange her answers in her mind Such a brain trap is also the Zeigarnik effect.
Bluma Zeigarnik notes that unfinished actions lead to the creation of affective activity, which will manifest itself in another activity. In the case of incompleteness - in the constant reproduction of the action in the mind.
Psychologist Maria Ovsyankina supplemented Zeigarnik's discovery with her own experiments. She found that an unfinished task, even without any reminders, is perceived as a “quasi-need” and we feel the need to complete the interrupted action, thereby coming to a discharge.
Later, the experiments started by Bluma Zeigarnik were continued by memory researcher John Baddeley. He offered participants anagrams that needed to be solved in a certain period of time. If they did not have time to solve them in a given period, they received an answer. Then the subjects were asked if they remembered the answers in anagrams, and it turned out that the participants remembered better words that they could not guess.
When the effect of the phenomenon weakens
The operation of the Bluma-Zeigarnik effect depends on various factors, including motivation. The more interest a person has in the process, the correspondingly more disturbing will be his incompleteness.
Let us give an example of the influence of motivation on the Zeigarnik effect from the studies of psychologist John Atkinson. He confirmed the effect of the phenomenon, while specifying: how unfinished business is remembered is influenced by individual differences. Everyone who approached tasks with higher motivation tries to solve as many tasks as possible. Therefore, the number of incomplete tasks under the time limit increases.
If the participant has a lower level of motivation, then he remembers the unfulfilled tasks worse.
At the same time, the manifestation of the effect depends on the reward. The phenomenon is less pronounced when a person is waiting for a reward for a certain part of the work. At the same time, a break in work can reduce productivity and the desire to continue. These features were also confirmed by research: two groups of people were given a task. The first group was guaranteed a reward, but the second was not. As a result, after payment, only 58% of the participants from the first group and 86% from the second returned to work. The study found that participants in the first group spent less time on each task. It turns out that the reward received for the time spent, and not for the number of completed tasks, reduces the stock of motivation and, accordingly, the interest in completing the task.
In turn, Chinese researchers believe that it is also important to take into account the physiological characteristics of each individual person. They found a relationship between the manifestation of the effect and the volume of gray matter in the bilateral hippocampus and parahippocampus. A larger volume of matter contributes to a more vivid manifestation of the phenomenon, it is easier for people with such anatomy to concentrate on the goal.
How to overcome procrastination
The Zeigarnik effect is not a “quirk” of the human brain, but a tool that allows you to keep the important in focus. It can help with procrastination, improve learning efficiency, increase personal productivity and mental health.
The example of the writer Ernest Hemingway perfectly demonstrates how any business can be successfully completed. Hemingway was in no hurry to use up all his ideas and all his energy at once. He would start work and then stop, put down his pencil, leave the work unfinished. He said: "When you work well, stop writing." As a result, his subconscious worked all the time and the writer returned to unfinished business with new ideas.
Therefore, the algorithm using the Zeigarnik effect will be as follows:
- just start;
- stop when the work will captivate;
- return to the task the next day.
Don't forget: we are often afraid to start because the task is too complex or not structured enough. Therefore, you should break large tasks into small ones and start doing simple ones first, and later move on to more complex ones. For example, if you need to create a voluminous presentation, you need to divide the task into separate stages: working with text, searching for illustrations, editing, and so on. Start with the easiest steps.
Research shows that incomplete tasks lead to the depletion of emotional resources, sleep disturbance - especially on weekends. Proper use of the Zeigarnik effect will help maintain mental health. To do this, it is recommended to regularly clean up the workplace, especially before the weekend, at the end of the working day to summarize what has been done today and what will be done in the next days. Try not to leave work in limbo, set goals correctly and wisely direct your motivation.