What Was I Going to Do Again? Study Says Changing Rooms Makes You Forgetful
- Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:00am by
Liz Klimas
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Has this happened to you? Move from one room to another to get something, do something, find something from another room, tell someone something and when you get there … what was that something?
Why does this happen? A new study published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology says the simple act of walking under a doorway from one room to another can make you forget your original intention.
Walking through this doorway could make you forget what you were doing. (Image: Arch Works)
MSNBC has more:
“When you go from room to room, your brain identifies each room as a new event and sets a new memory trace to capture the new event,” says study author Gabriel Radvansky, Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Like a chapter marker, doorways end old episodes and begin new ones, as far as your brain is concerned. This makes it difficult to retrieve older memories because they’ve already been filed away, Radvansky says.
Radvansky conducted three different tests where the subject as asked to do a certain memory task and then walk to another room. Gizmodo reports that these tests were conducted in both experimental and real-world environments. And if you think returning to the room where you first had the thought will help, the study found that it does not make a difference.
How can you combat this problem? MSNBC reports Radvansky as suggesting to carry something with you as a reminder as you move from room to room of what your original purpose was.
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Comments (57)
swehes
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:35pmThis just tells me that studying for tests is less than useful.
Report Post »ranchoazulmt
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 4:58pmI can not believe that someone actually paid/wasted money experimenting with this. Just because you may be able to figure something out, does not necessarily mean that you should carry through with the experiment. Someone actually tried to find the most efficient time to add creamer to your coffee to get the smallest decline in temperature from adding the cream. The answer is 6 seconds. The question still remains, why bother! There are some things that just don’t rise to the level of caring!
Report Post »pap pap
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:34pmThis has been happening to me for years but going back to room where the thought came from usually helps for me.
I think it’s just that you see different stimulous objects in different rooms and get distracted.
Report Post »TheGhost
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 1:50pmAs a seasoned citizen, this happens more often than I’d be willing to say. “They” say that short-term memory is the first to go – well that’s true.
Even decades ago, if I had to remember more than two things to do while running errands on a Saturday, I’d have to make a list, even if they were things I wanted to do, not picking up something for my spouse.
I find both taking something along, and returning to the room, helpful but certainly not sure fire.
I would have greatly appreciated back then having the electronic gadgets that people have now.
Report Post »suffolkva
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:19pmIt used to happen to me a lot in the ’60s :)
Report Post »B-Neil
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 11:42amWhat was this article about??? CARRY ON McDUFF
Report Post »hamo
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 11:18amJust remember, it’s all genetic. We are preprogrammed and all of our actions are not our fault. It’s all in our genes (don’t forget already).
Report Post »Sam the Casual Movie Guy
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:44amWhat was I going to write again?
Report Post »dont_drive_slow_in_the_left_lane_obliviot
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:28am$.5M to publish common knowledge, please.
Report Post »Drakkhanlord
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:09amGuess it would not be because of the chemtrails , themercury and viruses in the 100+ innoculations, the chems put in our water and food supply , or a;; the RX with worse side effects than the disease…
No… no that stuff would not have anything to do with memory loss and increased %of people with nuero diseases and cancers…
No , that could not be the problem, must be changing rooms …
Fargin A $$hats.
Report Post »ldwaddell
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:27pmIt’s all a conspiracy perpetrated by the build-a-burgers. Vote Ron Paul to prevent all future conspiracies.
Report Post »mamatango
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:48pmI’ve wondered about this too! Hmmm…Ya think? Sure could be.
Report Post »GodsDotr
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:06amThis is not news. This happens to me all the time. :)
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:01amThat’s what happened to Eric Holder, right?
Report Post »Hephzibah
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 9:26amI have a solution to this disastrous problem. I forget where I’m going before I get through that door, but I keep headed in the same direction and sometimes it comes back to me. If that doesn’t work, just go back to the beginning and start in again. If THAT doesn’t work, forget about it…it probably wasn’t that important anyway.
Report Post »Joe 1234
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 8:27amHerman Cain ‘s head is full of twirling rooms.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:39amI‘d comment on this but my computer’s in the other room and I‘m sure I’d forget how unimportant this is to news…
Report Post »Isaiah52021
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:35amThis explains why the OWSers can’t remember what they are protesting, they forgot when they left mommy’s basement, and here I thought out was all the pot they were smoking, silly me
Report Post »Darla_K
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 8:01amDoes Obummer walk from room to room? :)
Report Post »1389AD
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:54pmObrokeo has teleprompters everywhere to remind him what to do in each room.
Report Post »TH30PH1LUS
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:12amRick Perry lives in a changing room?
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 4:42amWhere am I and who are all these people , why can’t I move my arms it kinda feels like maybe they put this jacket on me baaaackwards …………..There is so much crap going on and so much info and stuff to get done in less time now unlike in the past it is no wonder people have a hard time remembering things.
Report Post »louise
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 4:24amMaybe this is good advertising for those little one room housing units?
Report Post »Could I remember where I set my coffee mug then?
Comeandtakeit
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 2:39amI could have told ‘em this for free. When is someone going to “study” why your husband can walk by a full container of garbage and “forget” to take it out?
Report Post »TXBadOneToo
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 4:12amMale selective memory. You can‘t blame us males as it’s a genetic thingie..
Report Post »1389AD
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:51pmActually, I’ve read that men, on the average, don’t have as good a sense of smell as women do.
Otherwise, their NOSES would tell them to take the garbage out already!
Report Post »Quagaar Warrior
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 2:33am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »That explains why everyone says I’m full of cr@p.
Everytime I walk into the bathroom, I forget why I’m there.
It may also explain my weight gain.
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notmeatglennbeckdotcom
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:05amNow see. I have a different take on the throne. I’m usually do my BEST thinking there.
Report Post »the hawk
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 2:16amSo thats what it is
Report Post »lel2007
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:57amSo how much did this “study” cost taxpayers? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or a “study” to figure out that a change in environment requires one to dedicate more thought to the task of navigating through a new maze. The seemingly forgotten has only been pushed farther down the brains queue of tasks to be recalled. Once the new environment becomes the mundane the brain returns to being as forgetful as it ever was.
Report Post »mom4times
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:39amfunny…..no one has mentioned the effect of children in the household helping you forget EVERYTHING….i think that kids (as much as i love mine) are worse than doorways for making you forget where your going……what you left one room for another one for…..why you went into the bathroom……why you have a book in your hand…..and almost put the milk in the garbage……they should have done that study at my house…….they would’ve forgotten why they were there ; O
Report Post »1389AD
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:53pmDon’t you usually go into the bathroom to do either #1 or #2 or both?
Report Post »Quagaar Warrior
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:25am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »Oh crap. I live in a one room apt.
Now what do I do?
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Eliasim
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:31amDon’t bend over to pick anything up because that will make you forget also.
Report Post »Quagaar Warrior
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:38am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »Uh-oh!
I just dropped my roll of T.P.
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lel2007
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:59amAH HA ! You’ve forgotten already.
Report Post »Quagaar Warrior
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 1:27am~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Report Post »Now my undies are soiled and I stink cuz I can’t remember how to employ proper hygiene.
I think I’ll join the occupiers. Heck, I’ll blend right in and never be noticed.
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1389AD
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:49pmAre YOU smarter than an Occupooper?
LOL!
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:21amOnly going from the house to the garage.The garage is a mans World.Tools,woodstove,motorcycles,outboards,4 wheelers,etc,.etc…did I say tools?
It has nothing to do with silly doorways.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:29amNo, but it does have to do with time and space, and that‘s why most often going back into the room again doesn’t help. That moment in time is gone. But, dwelling high in your mind ‘Temple’, at the moment you have that otherwise lost thought, will help you remember it when you go back high in the mind.
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:42amIt must be a woman thing!
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:46amThe only ‘temple’ I have is above my eyes.Going from room to room means nothing.Geez…..
Report Post »GeneTracy
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:12amWhat was I going to post? I forget.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:17amYou forgot to forget.
Report Post »lel2007
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 1:07amYou were going to post a declaration stating that if you ever vote for a democrat you deserve to die a slow and painful death.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:43amNo, he forgot to remember.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:10amHa. If you think just changing rooms makes people forgetful (because of the change in physical surroundings), then you don’t want to know what idolatry, and worshiping false gods does to people.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:15amWhat are you going to do when you don’t have your idols anymore to jog your memory? No wonder people don’t realize they have lived before, because in their new life they don’t have the same idols, but hey, God the Father is always God the Father no matter how many lives you live. Hint, hint! It gives you a common point to revolve around.
Report Post »Latter-Day-Soldier
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 12:40amI guess I should be thanking ELIASIM for a good belly laugh….I can just imagine the old Monty-Python crew doing a Spanish Inquisition skit on Eliasims reply to his own post. “NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!”
Report Post »ROFL
lel2007
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 1:03amHmmmm. Excellent idea for yet another Taxpayer funded “study”.
Report Post »lel2007
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 1:09amWhy don’t I want to know? Please, refresh my memory.
Report Post »