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569. Do You Need Closure?

Freakonomics Radio

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The Zygarnic Effect and Unfinished Tasks

The Zygarnic Effect is the concept of keeping unfinished tasks in our minds, and when we have closure or resolution, these unfinished tasks exit our minds. It is illustrated by the story of a dinner guest who left something behind and expected the waiter to remember, but the waiter had apparently erased the memory of the task being finished. The speaker relates this to the experience of studying for a test, where information is held in the mind until the test is taken, and then it dissipates once the closure of the test is achieved.

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