Harnessing the Zeigarnik Effect for Memory Retention and Motivation
John McEnroe was practicing before his 1984 Wimbledon final and abruptly quit.
He said he felt great and didn’t want to leave his best form in practice.
What happened next was stunning.
During the match, John McEnroe put on an absolute clinic against his long-time rival Jimmy Connors, beating the former champion 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
McEnroe’s serve was booming as he recorded 10 aces and only gave up 11 points on serve, a mere 42 throughout the whole match. He committed only three unforced errors that day.
“That’s the best I’ve ever played,” McEnroe said after the match.
Pundits agree it was one of the best major tennis performances ever.
McEnroe’s decision to cut practice early had a major role.
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In psychology, we talk of the Zeigarnik Effect, the tendency for people to remember interrupted tasks better than completed ones.
In one study, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik found that participants remembered unfinished tasks 90 percent more than finished tasks.
We have an instinct for closure, and, when something’s not done, our minds and bodies focus on the task with more energy, resulting in a greater memory of it.
In his book Pre-Suasion, psychologist Robert Cialdini shares the results of a study in which women were asked their interest in men based on how the men rated the women.
It turns out the women were most interested not in the men who rated them highest, but those who didn’t rate them at all.
Their curiosity made them think about the men more, and that intensified their attractiveness.
As Cialdini puts it, “When an important outcome is unknown to people, they can hardly think of anything else.”
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McEnroe was known for avoiding practice, preferring instead to hone his skills on the doubles court in addition to the singles game. This put McEnroe among the best all-around tennis players in history.
In part this success might have been due to his harnessing the power of the Zeigarnik Effect.
It can be used everywhere—in school and work as it is in tennis.
Hemingway once said, “The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck.”
Roald Dahl used the same technique: “I never come back to a blank page; I always finish about halfway through.”
By inserting tactical breaks into your routine, you can increase memory retention and manufacture motivation to complete your work.
As Edison famously said, “Never go to sleep without a request to your subconscious.”
