{"id":56119,"date":"2021-12-13T15:19:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T19:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=56119"},"modified":"2021-12-27T11:18:11","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T15:18:11","slug":"the-peak-end-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-peak-end-rule\/","title":{"rendered":"The Peak-End Rule: What Makes a Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the peak-end rule<\/a>? How does the peak-end rule determine what you remember about an experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The peak-end rule states that when people reflect on an experience, they tend to ignore the duration of the experience. Instead, they focus on two key parts: 1) the emotional peaks\u2014the moments of strongest positive or negative emotion, and 2) the end of the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is why the peaks always stand out in memory, blurring the rest as background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Peak-End Rule<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s obvious why some events\u2014like marriage, or having kids\u2014would stand out on the timeline of your life. But what about smaller, simpler moments such as a particular family vacation or an outing with a friend? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically, the way you recall special memories is shaped by the \u201cpeak-end rule,\u201d proposed by psychologists Barbara Frederickson and Daniel Kahneman (author of Thinking, Fast and Slow<\/em><\/a>). <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine you spend a day at the beach with your kids. The drive is long, and it\u2019s cloudy when you arrive. As you set up your umbrella and blanket, the sun finally peeks out. Around lunchtime, your kids are delighted to see a pod of dolphins playing just offshore. By the end of the day, everyone is exhausted, sunburned, and a little cranky. You pack up just before dark and spot an ice cream truck on the walk to the car, so everyone ends the day snacking on their favorite ice cream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you were asked about your day right after finishing your ice cream, you\u2019d reflect on all the events of the day and chalk it up to a fairly average<\/em> experience. However, if you were approached several weeks later and asked to reflect on the day, you\u2019d likely give it a rave review<\/em>. This is because, according to the peak-end rule, the parts of the day that will stand out in your memory are seeing dolphins (the peak) and eating your favorite ice cream with your kids (the end). All the other parts of the day\u2014the cloudy sky, the sunburn, the long drive\u2014fade into the background of these two positive experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longer Timelines Warp the Peak-End Rule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kahneman\u2019s research shows that the peak-end rule holds when an experience is relatively short and has a definite beginning and end\u2014a day at the beach or a week of camping, for example. However, the Heaths explain that when it comes to recalling long-term experiences, the peak-end rule changes.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peak:<\/strong> Peaks retain their importance\u2014that is, one or two exceptional moments can make a mundane experience stand out in your memory as wholly <\/em>amazing. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n