That's exactly why you do not remember if you've locked the door behind you
There is a psychological reason for which you often forget if you have finished a task, a new study shows.
We were all there before: you run a race and wonder if you forgot to lock the door or turn off the lights. Although you remember reminding you to do it, you do not remember if you do it. (Cue a minor panic attack.) Well, it turns out that there is a psychological reason behind thiscommon confusion. A new study published in the journalPersonality Bulletin and Social Psychology foundWhen we intend to do something, our brain creates aFalse memory to finish the taskThat's why we are so disconcerted after.
In the study of July 16, the researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign led five experiences to determine why and how people wander to do social and daily activities like turning off the stove, take out the trash Or answer an email.
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To test the theory, study participants were invited to choose candidates at work and decide to hire them or offer them the position. Later, the topics of study were invited to report if they had acted on their decision or had only the intention to do so, an answer of which many of them could not remember.
"Intentions and manufacturing plans generally improve the execution of tasks "Dolores Albarracin, PhD, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, said in a statement. "We need them to work in society, to achieve our goals and get along with others."
However, our mind can be mistaken in fuzzy intentions with actions. "When we form an intention in the moment, like" I'm going to sign this form now ", and it is an activity we do regularly, we want to complete the task when we train the intention," said Albarracin. "Otherwise, we do not actually ss of the form. And the reason why the reason is because the thought of wanting to sign the form can be badly memorized as having actually signed."
The researchers also found that theMétis rate Increase when the physical movements of the subjects and the mental criteria reflected the steps they took to finish the chore. For example, if you are on your phone and you intend to text someone back, similar scrolls scrolling through social media or tap a note could deceive your brain to believe that you have already answered to the message. Similarly, the physical act of closing the door behind you when you leave the house could trigger the idea you had so locked.
Albarracin adds that more trivial orroutine the taskThe more likely it is that you will forget if you did it. According to the study, the best way to avoid this riddle is to monitor your actionsUse of a list to do or another easy tracker. And for more means, you can train your mind, see these15 games that will keep your edge brain.
