Bluma Zeigarnik's finding that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, and feel tension until incomplete tasks are resolved.
Explained
- Unfinished tasks stay active in the mind and create a low hum of tension.
- People remember interrupted work better and feel pulled to complete it.
- An incomplete profile or a half-filled progress bar nags to be resolved.
- That open loop is more motivating than the prospect of starting something new.
