What is the Zeigarnik Effect?

The introduction of a progress bar on a website
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The Zeigarnik Effect also known as Goal Gradient Effect is the psychological principle that explains how incomplete tasks stick in our mind more than ones we have completed. It is based on the fact that it is human nature to finish what we start and, if we don’t finish something, we experience dissonance, resulting in an uncomfortable feeling. Not finishing something puts us in a state of tension and gives us added incentive to get that thing completed.

by Benjamin Ligier

Benjamin is a CRO Expert at Convertize. He is passionate about design, web marketing and consumer psychology.