‘Zeigarnik Effect’ on the Ramp
In the late 1920s Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik noticed café waiters remembered complex unfinished orders better than those that were completed and paid. Her curiosity led her further to research which showed that the human brain develops what is called ‘cognitive tension’ when something is ‘left on’ or in an open loop without resolution. In the film and entertainment world this cognitive tension is exploited with ‘cliffhangers’ where an episode ends with an unresolved plot twist. In the digital world cognitive tension creates clickbaits where people want to find out what’s below the headline. This is known as the ‘Zeigarnik Effect’ where the mind is left in suspended wonderment. Many artists also use the Zeigarnik Effect creating works that seem unreal or too impossible to be realised. Think of all the great works of art that come to your mind—Michelangelo’s ‘David’, Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ or the Chola ‘Nataraj’—they all seem too perfect to be true. Rahul Mishra’s...
