Ever walked into a room and completely forgotten why you were there?

You’re not alone. This common experience is called The Doorway Effect, and it happens because of the way our brains organize and store information. Scientists have discovered that when we pass through a doorway, our brain essentially hits the reset button on our short-term memory.

Which when it happens to me daily...it's enough to make me have a mini melt down...especially if I'm mid-thought, mid-task, or just trying to remember why I left the kitchen in the first place. But understanding why it happens can help us work around it and even improve our memory over time. 

Why Does the Doorway Effect Happen?

The brain is constantly processing massive amounts of information. To keep things organized, it segments experiences into episodes, grouping related thoughts and actions together. This is why you can recall what you were doing in one room but forget the task as soon as you walk into another. When you pass through a doorway, your brain sees this as a natural break between events.

Instead of carrying over everything from the previous space, it starts fresh, prioritizing new sensory inputs over what you were just thinking about. This system is generally efficient, but it has an unintended side effect—causing you to momentarily forget why you entered the new space.
 

How Our Brains Segment Information

Between Locations

Think of our memory like a filing system. When we’re in one room, our brain categorizes everything we’re doing under one "folder." Walking through a doorway tells your brain that it’s time to close the current folder and open a new one. While this helps us organize experiences, it also explains why information from the previous room can suddenly be lost in the sauce, never to be found again. 

Research from the University of Notre Dame found that people were much more likely to forget information after walking through a doorway compared to those who traveled the same distance without crossing a threshold.

This effect was the same whether participants walked through real-world spaces or simulated ones, suggesting that our brains are wired to treat physical boundaries as mental reset points.

How do we Prevent Memory Loss...Using "Mental Sticky Notes"

If you're anything like me and frequently experience the Doorway Effect, there are a few strategies we can use to help retain information as we move through spaces.

The first is to mentally (or audibly if needed) repeat the task or reason for entering the next room before crossing the threshold. Saying something like, “I need my phone charger” as you walk through the doorway reinforces the thought, making it harder to lose. Another hack is to visualize the object or action before leaving the room you're in.

If you’re going to get a glass of water, imagine yourself holding the glass before you step through. This technique strengthens the memory link and makes retrieval easier once you reach the next space.

My personal favorite one, physical memory cues. Practice this one by placing an object related to your task in your hand or pocket. If you’re going to grab your keys from another room, holding your phone or tapping your pocket can serve as a physical reminder of what you need to do.

For more long-term solutions, training your memory through active recall techniques and mindfulness practices can make a difference. Keeping a small notepad or using a voice memo app to record quick reminders can also help when you’re juggling multiple tasks.

Practicing being mindfull by making a deliberate decision to slowing down and consciously registering your intentions before moving between spaces can make the transition smoother and reduce memory slip ups.

Final musings...

The Doorway Effect is a fascinating example of how the brain organizes experiences and processes information efficiently. I think we can all agree that it's frustrating to forget things as you move through your daily routines.  

Thankfully, simple proven techniques like mental repetition, visualization, and physical memory cues can help prevent these lapses or lessen them all together.

When we can better understand how our brain resets between locations, we can work with our memory rather than against it, which in theory can make daily life a little easier and less forgetful.

Articles in this category

Copyright 2025 Website created with WebWave & Ambitious Alchemy