The psychologist revealed the secret behind forgetfulness when leaving a room

Many people forget why they walked into another room due to the change in surroundings: the brain ties memories to a specific location, and when transitioning to a new space, a thought can temporarily "reset." American psychologist Sanam Hafeez discussed this in a conversation with Yahoo.

This phenomenon has been dubbed the "doorway effect." As the specialist explained, the brain uses context — such as a room or surroundings — as a kind of anchor for memory. The moment a person walks through a door and finds themselves in a different place, the context changes, and the thought associated with the previous room seemingly dissolves into thin air.

According to Hafeez's observations, this effect more often strikes those who are accustomed to multitasking, live under heightened stress, or are overloaded with work. Creative individuals and people naturally prone to absent-mindedness are also not immune to it.

However, this kind of forgetfulness does not at all signal memory impairments. As the psychologist emphasized, in people with active minds, the brain is continuously building plans for the next steps, and the current task can simply get "lost" at the moment when attention shifts to a new environment.

To reduce the likelihood of such a glitch, the specialist recommends a simple technique: saying your intentions out loud on the way to another room. Another effective method is to pause for a few seconds in the doorway: a brief pause helps retain the thought before the brain switches to a new context.