Zeigarnik Effect

The Zeigarnik effect is a bias or memory phenomenon that has people more likely to remember things that are left incomplete or are interrupted better than the things that have been completed. This leads to the belief that the human mind has a bias which focuses on completing tasks that have been started rather than work already done. The Lewis Effect, which is related to the Zeigarnik effect, suggests the failure to complete a task causes tension within the mind which can be dispelled by task completion. However, on the positive side, research has shown that students who take breaks while studying will remember the material better than those who study straight through without any breaks. This may be a result of this tension due to the need to complete the task of studying.