The Zeigarnik Effect

The Zeigarnik effect, developed by Soviet psychologist and psychiatrist Bluma Zeigarnik, is a psychological concept that explains how unfinished tasks are more easily remembered than completed ones, suggesting that unfinished tasks occupy the mind.

The Emergence of the Zeigarnik Effect

Before introducing this concept, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik saw waiters as a source of inspiration. She became curious about this situation as a result of observing a waiter in the restaurant she went to, who kept the orders he received in his mind instead of taking notes, and asked the waiter about it. The waiter said that he erased these notes from his mind after giving the orders. As this situation was very interesting to her, Zeigarnik decided to conduct experiments on it. As a result of the experiment she conducted, Zeigarnik concluded that incomplete tasks are remembered 90% more than completed ones.

Long after Zeigarnik's experiments, a puzzle completion experiment was carried out by Kenneth McGraw. In this experiment, a group of people were given a puzzle that they had to complete for a fee and were asked to complete it. However, the money is given to people before the puzzle is completed. Despite the atmosphere of the experiment being over, it was observed that the participants continued to do the puzzle.

Some examples where we see the Zeigarnik effect are as follows:

• The series being cut off at the most exciting part
• An unremembered song occupying our mind
• Remembering the questions we could not do more clearly after the exam
• The unfinished relationship occupying the mind for a longer time
• The lesson we got a bad grade in not leaving our minds
• The unfinished business occupying your mind when you go on vacation
• The desire to complete the last piece of the puzzle
• Magazines published as "Continued in the next issue"
• Unresolved problems in relationships being remembered more

When we start a job, we tend to complete it rather than leave it unfinished. Therefore, the lesson that the Zeigarnik effect teaches us is this: if we want to overcome the procrastination behavior, we need to start that job from somewhere.