{"id":59171,"date":"2022-02-16T08:30:22","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T12:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=59171"},"modified":"2022-02-26T19:07:49","modified_gmt":"2022-02-26T23:07:49","slug":"the-zeigarnik-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-zeigarnik-effect\/","title":{"rendered":"The Zeigarnik Effect: 4 Ways to Unleash Your Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is the Zeigarnik effect<\/a>? How can you leverage it to be more creative<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative insights might seem random, but you actually can deliberately spark them by leveraging a peculiar neural phenomenon called the Zeigarnik effect. It’s when your brain continues to work on unsolved problems\u2014even when you don’t realize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are four ways to unleash your creativity<\/a> using the Zeigarnik effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Creativity and the Zeigarnik Effect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By improving the quality of the information you consume, you\u2019re able to have higher-quality ideas. But how do you actually have<\/em> those ideas? Most people assume that creative insights happen randomly. However, Bailey explains that you can intentionally<\/em> trigger creative insights<\/strong> thanks to what psychologists call the Zeigarnik effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Zeigarnik effect is the name for a peculiar neural phenomenon: We remember things we haven\u2019t yet completed much better than things we\u2019ve completed. Thanks to the Zeigarnik effect, your brain continues to work on problems you haven\u2019t yet solved\u2014even if you\u2019re not actively working on them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: One paper notes that, despite the Zeigarnik effect\u2019s popularity in productivity books, most modern psychology books don\u2019t mention it because researchers haven\u2019t been able to replicate it reliably<\/a>. Studies that support the Zeigarnik effect suggest that it relates to motivation: People motivated by feeling successful remember incomplete tasks better because they need to complete them to achieve their goal. However, the Zeigarnik effect is not a universal phenomenon.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you\u2019re subconsciously working on this problem, your brain encounters various stimuli. It automatically tries to connect all of these stimuli to this problem. These stimuli might be external (like the apple that fell on Isaac Newton\u2019s head). If your mind is wandering, these stimuli might be internal\u2014like an old memory you haven\u2019t thought of in a while. (Shortform note: A falling apple definitely triggered Newton\u2019s theory of gravity\u2014but there\u2019s no evidence to suggest it fell specifically on his head<\/a>.) Sometimes, the stimulus your brain encounters reminds it of something else it already knows. It connects this old information (or the new stimulus, which may itself be the information you were missing) to your problem\u2014and solves it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When your mind wanders, you encounter many more stimuli because you think about many more things. The more stimuli you encounter, the higher the likelihood you encounter the stimulus you need to solve your problem, so the more likely it is you\u2019ll gain a creative insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you mind-wander intentionally<\/em>, you\u2019re far more likely to notice and remember this creative insight. Furthermore, when you perform a fun, easy task as you mind-wander, you maximize the stimuli you encounter: You experience both external stimuli (from doing the task) and internal stimuli (the thoughts you have as your mind wanders). Therefore, intentionally mind-wandering in the right situations can increase your likelihood of having and remembering a creative insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 Strategies for Triggering Creative Insights<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Design such situations yourself using Bailey\u2019s strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: Intentionally Mind-Wander in Busy Environments<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As we\u2019ve seen, you need new stimuli to trigger a creative insight. So maximize your chances of having a burst of inspiration by maximizing<\/a> the external stimuli you encounter. Bailey recommends intentionally mind-wandering someplace you\u2019ll regularly encounter new cues\u2014like a train station or a busy caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: \u201cWhere\u2019s the Spark? How Lockdown Caused a Creativity Crisis\u201d describes how COVID-19 caused a loss in creativity partly because people weren\u2019t exposed to new experiences<\/a>. If your company still works from home, expanding your weak-tie network through cross-departmental collaborative projects might be a good way to increase new stimuli: Chance comments from \u201cweak ties\u201d can be the source of unexpected inspiration.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2: Manipulate the Zeigarnik Effect<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Bailey explains that there are two main ways you can manipulate the Zeigarnik effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n