The Zeigarnik Effect

To understand why it happens, let’s flashback to Bluma Zeigarnik, a Russian psychologist. One evening, Zeigarnik and her friends went out for dinner to a restaurant. They had a lovely meal. Guess what the highlight was? It was the service. More specifically, their waiter. He had an amazing memory. So as everybody placed their orders, he remembered every little detail, without writing anything down. He remembered who ordered what. And how they wanted it. Zeigarnik and her friends were all amazed by the waiter’s memory.

After the meal, they were driving back when Zeigarnik discovered that she had left her jacket behind in the restaurant. So she turned around, drove back to the restaurant and sought out that friendly waiter who she knew would be happy to help her locate her jacket. Imagine her horror though when she found the waiter, but the waiter didn’t even recognize her. What happened?

It got Zeigarnik thinking. And her research then showed how our brain tends to work. When a task is completed, our brain hits the delete button. And our memory gets wiped clean. Our short term memory struggles with space to retain information. So it keeps only the unfinished tasks alive. And the minute a task is completed it hits the delete button. And that’s why waiters at restaurants will remember every little detail of your order. But only until the bill is made. That’s why when we photocopy a document, we pick up the copy and walk away, leaving the original behind. This has come to be known as the Zeigarnik effect. A term that describes how our short-term memory deletes completed tasks. Fascinating, isn’t it?

The Zeigarnik effect might explain why at a bank’s ATM, you are now required to pull your card out before collecting the cash. They know Zeigarnik will be at play and once you collect the cash, the task is finished and good chance you will forget to take your card back.

It’s something we can all put to good use. In serials, every episode ends tantalisingly. Each episode ends at a point where you will say ‘wow, what happens next’? You want to know, you want to come back. There is no closure at the end of that episode and that’s what brings us back all the time. Had there been closure, chances are we’d quickly forget about it. Maybe a powerful idea for all of us. If there is something you want to make sure remains alive, keep it just a bit unfinished. Writing a book? Make sure you end every writing session at a point of suspense or tension. Don’t resolve it. Don’t finish it. That will bring you back next day to writing again.

The Zeigarnik effect might also explain my favourite piece of communication advice. It’s this. Someone said that there are really two golden rules of communication: 1. Never tell everything at once.
That’s it. Ah, the Zeigarnik effect!

The writer is an author, speaker and leadership coach and former MD of Kimberly Clark Lever BEST BRAINS.

The director of the George Washington University School of Medicine argues that the brain of an older person is much more practical than is commonly believed. At this age, the interaction of the right and left hemispheres of the brain becomes harmonious, which expands our creative possibilities. That is why among people over 60 years of age you can find many personalities who have just started their creative activities.

Of course, the brain is no longer as fast as it was in youth. However, it gains in flexibility. Therefore, with age, we are more likely to make the right decisions and are less exposed to negative emotions. The peak of human intellectual activity occurs around the age of 70, when the brain begins to function at full strength.

Over time, the amount of myelin in the brain increases, a substance that facilitates the rapid passage of signals between neurons. Due to this, intellectual abilities increase by 300% compared to the average.

Also interesting is the fact that after 60 years, a person can use 2 hemispheres at the same time. This allows you to solve much more complex problems.

Professor Monchi Uri, from the University of Montreal, believes that the old man’s brain chooses the path that consumes less energy, eliminates the unnecessary and leaves only the right options to solve the problem. A study was conducted involving different age groups. Young people were very confused when passing the tests, while those over 60 years of age made the right decisions.

Now, let’s look at the characteristics of the brain between the ages of 60 and 80. They are really pink.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BRAIN OF AN ELDERLY PERSON.

1. Neurons in the brain do not die, as everyone around you says. The connections between them simply disappear if one does not engage in mental work.
2. Distraction and forgetfulness arise due to an overabundance of information. Therefore, it is not necessary for you to concentrate your whole life on unnecessary trifles.
3. From the age of 60, a person, when making decisions, does not use one hemisphere at the same time, like young people, but both.
   
4. Conclusion: if a person leads a healthy lifestyle, moves, has viable physical activity and is fully mentally active, intellectual abilities do NOT decrease with age, they simply GROW, reaching a peak at the age of 80-90 years. So do not be afraid of old age. Strive to develop intellectually. Learn new crafts, make music, learn to play musical instruments, paint pictures! Take an interest in life, meet and communicate with friends, plan for the future, travel as best you can. Do not forget to go to shops, shows. Don’t shut up alone, it’s destructive to anyone. Live with the thought: all good things are still ahead of me!
5. SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine.

Thanks Dr Mohan Guruswamy

RESAM PADI: KEPIMPINAN CEMERLANG HAJIJI DI SABAH

Sejak tiga tahun yang lalu di Sabah—sebuah negeri seramai 3.7 juta penduduk—telah mengalami perubahan dari segi kadar pertumbuhan yang memberangsangkan, limpahan pelaburan dari China dan Korea Selatan yang masuk tanpa henti. Komitmen peribadi Hajiji yang kuat terhadap kesejahteraan pembangunan Sabah di bawah kelolanya sebagai Ketua Menteri selama tiga tahun ini wajar diperkatakan, terutamanya pada hasil yang tidak disangka-sangka ini. Berdasarkan rajutan politik berdasarkan kaum peribumi Sabah, hal ini bukan sesuatu yang asing bagi Hajiji Noor. Walau bagaimanapun, beliau masih bertahan dengan melaksanakan inisiatif yang disenangi secara politik, dibentuk bukan untuk mendewakan dirinya sendiri—seperti mana yang dilakukan oleh orang-orang terdahulunya—tetapi demi kepentingan Negeri Di Bawah Bayu secara menyeluruh.

Kemenangan Pilihan Raya Hajiji pada tahun 2020, menumpaskan Shafie Apdal, dikaitkan oleh ramai pakar dek kecekapan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya dalam memastikan pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil, selain daripada kekecewaan pengundi terhadap Shafie dan parti WARISAN-nya yang membubarkan Dewan Undangan Negeri Sabah ketika trend jangkitan COVID-19 sedang mencanak dan merebak seluruh negeri tersebut.

Hajiji mengambil alih tugas membendung COVID-19 dan usaha bantuan sebelum beliau dilantik menjadi Ketua Menteri. Setelah mengangkat sumpah, Hajiji dijangkiti COVID-19 dan berada pada tahap kritikal keempat; beliau dimasukkan ke hospital berminggu lamanya, kemudian menjalani kuarantin di rumah dalam tempoh beberapa bulan pula. Walaupun diuji, kerajaan dibawah kelolanya bersama Kementerian Kesihatan bekerja siang-malam untuk memastikan kebajikan rakyat terjamin. Kedua-duanya membangunkan bilik gerakan. Bersama membanteras masalah seperti kekurangan tong oksigen, lantas mengatasi krisis tersebut. Kedua-duanya juga memastikan tidak ada berlakunya kekurangan katil pesakit. Gerakan vaksinasi secara besar-besaran dilaksanakan. Kadar kematian akibat COVID-19 turut merudum. Walaupun ketika dalam keadaan sekatan pergerakan, kerajaan di bawah kepimpinan Hajiji memastikan mata pencarian rakyat mereka tidak terjejas. Kerajaan parti Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) mengendali pandemik begitu cemerlang sekali.

Tidak dinafikan lagi: tumpuan utama Hajiji adalah untuk membangunkan negerinya.

Sejak beliau mengangkat sumpah pada tahun 2020, Hajiji telah menangani permasalahan infrastruktur negeri Sabah “secara gerak gempur” dengan membina jalan raya baharu dan mengurangkan secara ketara waktu perjalanan antara pusat kependudukan di Sabah. Program pembangunan yang nyata ini juga disertakan oleh Hajiji bersama reformasi politik yang bermakna.

Walaupun ramai berpendapat Hajiji hanyalah “memetik buah cempedak dengan galah”, menangani sifat tadbir urus negeri Sabah yang tidak normal adalah langkah pertama yang paling masuk akan untuk mengubah nasib negeri tersebut.

Walaupun kebanyakan analisis singkat Sabah meraikan kadar pertumbuhannya yang rancak semenjak tiga tahun berikut, tidak ramai yang mencatatkan peratusan daripada dasar kecil yang negeri itu sedang bina. Negeri Di Bawah Bayu ini harus berkembang pada kadar 10.5% bagi 15 tahun akan datang untuk bersaing dengan pendapatan per kapita Darul Ehsan (Selangor). Walaupun jumlah KIR (Ketua Isi Rumah) daripada kalangan miskin tegar Sabah sejak bulan Mac adalah 13,172, ia telah menurun daripada 22,510 pada tiga tahun yang lalu, menandakan penurunan sebanyak 42%. Semestinya ini suatu pencapaian.

Prestasi yang menarik perhatian ini sedikit sebanyaknya didorong oleh perbelanjaan awam, bukannya swasta.

Demi mengekalkan momentum pembangunan sedia ada, Hajiji haruslah menangani masalah struktur dan institusi yang lebih mencabar.

Walau bagaimanapun, rakyat Sabah sangat mempercayai kemampuan Hajiji. Pimpinannya telah meraih 88% nilai sokongan pada tahun 2022 dan partinya telah memenangi enam kerusi parlimen pada pilihan raya Parlimen, November 2022 lalu.

Semua ini kerana rakyat Sabah mengakui sumbangan Hajiji terhadap negeri mereka dan haluan pembangunan yang telah beliau sediakan, serta laksanakan.

Komitmen peribadi Hajiji terhadap kemajuan pembangunan, ketelusan dan tatakelola tidak boleh dibandingkan dengan ahli politik sama parti mahupun mereka yang lain di Sabah. Salah seorang daripada mereka inginkan jawatan menteri kewangan, malah juga ingin menjadi ketua setiap agensi kerajaan yang utama. Apabila si fulan tersebut gagal, dia bersekongkol bersama Shafie pada tahun lepas untuk menumbangkan kerajaan GRS. Kudeta itu turut gagal.

Hajiji Noor telah berjaya mentadbirkan negerinya, bukan semata demi kepentingan gabungan pilihan rayanya tetapi demi kepentingan rakyatnya secara keseluruhan. Perihal ini bukan sesuatu yang enteng, lebih-lebih lagi di sebuah negeri yang tersohor dengan ahli politiknya yang korup.