Our Desire for Closure Has a Lot to Do with How Our Brains Are Wired

Often, we remember something just long enough to finish a task, and then we completely forget it. When it comes to love, we have trouble letting go of a romantic relationship if we feel like we didn’t get closure. This need for completion is called the Zeigarnik Effect. Our brain focuses on tasks that are unfinished, called open loops. Once the loop is closed, our brain relaxes about it. This clever video explains how we can use the Zeigarnik Effect as a motivator, because simply starting a task can encourage us to finish it.