Externalizing memory through tools like writing allows the brain to prioritize tasks and not worry about keeping information actively in memory, freeing it to focus on more urgent matters. This practice is seen as a significant advancement in human civilization. The emotional impact of externalizing memory is further explored through the concept of psychological immune systems, where individuals maintain psychological well-being by adapting and rationalizing even unfavorable situations, as theorized by psychologists Tim Wilson and Dan Gilbert.
What’s the best way to carry out random acts of kindness? What’s wrong with making an “Irish exit”? And why is Mike secretly buying lottery tickets?
- RESOURCES:
- "Life and Work of the Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik," by M. Marco (Neurosciences and History, 2018).
- "Why We Need Answers," by Maria Konnikova (The New Yorker, 2013).
- "Consider It Done! Plan Making Can Eliminate the Cognitive Effects of Unfulfilled Goals," by E. J. Masicampo and Roy Baumeister (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011).
- The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples, by John Gottman (2011).
- "'Let Me Dream On!' Anticipatory Emotions and Preference for Timing in Lotteries," by Martin Kocher, Michal Krawczyk, and Frans van Winden (Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper, 2009).
- "Explaining Away: A Model of Affective Adaptation," by Timothy Wilson and Daniel Gilbert (Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2008).
- "On Finished and Unfinished Tasks," by Bluma Zeigarnik (A Source Book of Gestalt Psychology, 1938).