Do you know what the Zeigarnik Effect is?

This name, strange and difficult to pronounce, is due to the Russian-born psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik. Bluma observed the behavior of waiters in restaurants. They tend to remember orders that are pending to be served but quickly forget those dishes that have already been served to diners.

So, The “Effect” indicated by this professional has to do with the tendency of people to remember more those unfinished or pending tasks than those that have already been completed.. In 1927 the psychologist did a large study in this regard and in it, the participants performed 20 different tasks, one after the other, that is, successively. For example, they had to solve riddles, mathematical problems or do manual tasks.

They were interrupted at different stages of the test. The research then showed that participants were better able to remember tasks that they had not been able to complete because of interruptions than those that they had completed. That is, as soon as they went to the “finished” list, the brain completely forgot them.

This Zeigarnik effect is and has been widely used in cinema, literature and television series. We can say that the films of Alfred Hitchcock, the novels of Charles Dickens and the series “Lost” (Lost in English) use a very effective trick, where They keep viewers or readers in suspense and with uncertainty or suspense. All thanks to the word “To be continued”, which leaves everyone waiting, eager to know more.

Without a doubt, we must analyze the works of Dickens, that great English novelist who took advantage of the public’s anxiety to release chapters of Oliver Twist, instead of the entire book.

The expectation created by the author was so great that American readers were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the ship containing the last installment of the chapters at the New York dock. The desperation to know what would happen in the story was “stronger” and they could not wait a minute.

So, what does leaving tasks unfinished have to do with the “Zeigarnik effect”? Now we will reveal it. More than five decades after the Russian psychologist’s research, a team led by Kenneth McGraw repeated it again.

The participants had to put together a very difficult puzzle. They were interrupted when it was mostly resolved, telling them that the study was over and that they did not have to continue. However, 90% of them preferred to stay until the puzzle was finished.

The same can apply to a book or a movie. For example, if we are caught up in reading in the first few minutes, we are more likely to stay reading or watching until it is over. In the case of books, this wake-up call is almost always gradual. If you don’t have a reading habit, ask those who do read how they feel halfway through a book.

This is because When we start something, we are more willing to finish it. Leaving things unfinished, that is, procrastination, is easier to appear if we have not yet started on something.

Better if it is from the easiest, so you can continue from lower to higher and see yourself more and more excited about the progress and advances. You will find yourself increasingly involved and it will be more difficult for you to leave it. Once you’ve taken that first step, you’re more likely to follow through.

The Zeigarnik Effect does not work well if there is no motivation to achieve the goal. This means that if what we are doing does not matter to us, does not change our life in any way or does not help us fulfill our dream, it is easier for us to find an excuse to abandon it or not even start. However, It is still simpler for us to finish a task that we have already started than one that we have not yet started.

Remember these two wonderful phrases: “The best way to start is to stop talking and do” (Walt Disney) and “The shortest answer is to do things” (Ernest Hemingway).