Don’t worry; you’re not alone in experiencing this unsettling phenomenon.

Since 2006, psychologists at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana have been researching a cognitive phenomenon known as the doorway effect. In a significant study, they utilized virtual reality technology to illustrate how volunteers who walked through a doorway into a different room exhibited a notable decline in their memory of the items within the room.

The researchers provide a three-part explanation for this intriguing effect. Our memories are categorized into episodes, and reminiscing about information from previous episodes can be challenging. Crucially, passing through a doorway generates a new episode or “event boundary,” complicating the recall of information from the prior memory episode.

These findings imply that doorways possess a fascinating effect on our cognitive processes. However, a team from the University of Queensland offered a more nuanced perspective. They found that moving through doorways leading to the same room had minimal impact on memory retention. This may be due to insufficient contextual changes to establish event boundaries. Interestingly, the doorway effect only influenced memory when participants were distracted by a secondary task during the transition.

The Queensland team’s observations align with daily experiences, where distractions often lead to forgetfulness about our initial intentions upon entering a new space. This suggests that the doorway effect is most pronounced when transitioning between significantly different contexts, such as moving from the living room to the garden.

These new insights also indicate potential strategies for mitigating forgetfulness. When you enter a room with a specific task in mind, try to concentrate on your goal. If that proves difficult, jotting down a note on your hand can be a helpful reminder.

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Asked by: Emma Eldridge, Wimbledon

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