The Zeigarnik effect

The Zeigarnik effect was named after its discoverer, the female psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik. She proved that unfinished business gives an internal tension to a person, which makes us constantly remember these things and mentally return to them again and again.

Psychology - the effect of an unfinished action (Zeigarnik)

In the 1920s, the successful psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik became the discoverer of this amazing effect. Like many discoveries, it was discovered suddenly, when a waiter at a cafe remembered a very large order without recording it.

Zeigarnik talked to the waiter, and he replied that he remembers all the unfulfilled orders, and completely forgets all those that have already finished. This allowed us to make the assumption that people complete and unfinished business perceives differently, because this changes the status of significance.

Then a number of experiments were carried out. The students were offered intellectual tasks. In the course of solving some of them, the researcher said that the time had come. A few days later, students were invited to recall the terms of all tasks. It turned out that those tasks that were not completed, pop up in memory twice as efficiently! This is the effect of an unfinished action, or the phenomenon of Zeigarnik.

The beginning of the task creates a voltage, and its discharge occurs only after the action is completed. This tension is constantly striving to be removed: people are uncomfortable in a state of incompleteness, and comfortable when the cause is put to an end.

The effect of unfinished action in love

In life, the effect of an unfinished action is very difficult and very painful for those who encounter it. Let's look at an example and find out how best to proceed.

For example, a girl falls in love with a guy, she is 18 years old. They spend together only 10 days, and then he goes far away, and the relationship is interrupted. Since then, they have never met again, only occasionally corresponded, but she remembers it 5 and 7 years later. Despite the fact that she has a man and a serious relationship, she can not mentally let go of that situation.

In this situation, you need to determine what would be the end. For example, to meet that person, talk, find that he is in life and he is in dreams - these are two different people. Or mentally complete the situation, imagining what would have happened if everything had turned out differently. Every concrete case can be analyzed by a psychologist who will help to direct thoughts in the right direction.