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Why you forget stuff when you walk through doorways (Hint: It's not ADHD)

Sydni Rubio

July 12, 2024

An older woman with ADHD stands in the middle of a room confused and shrugging. Behind her are the words: why the f did I come in here?

Have you ever walked into a room only to forget why you went there in the first place? It’s like your brain hit a reset button.


"What was I doing?"


"Why did I come in here?"


You probably even had to go back to the original physical place you were when you had the thought, and only then could you remember what it was you wanted to do. No, I'm not spying on you. This is actually a super common - and quite irritating - human experience known as the doorway effect.


Let's learn about what this psychological phenomenon is, what's happening in our brains when it occurs, who experiences it, and how we can deal with this annoying aspect of having a human brain.


What is the doorway effect?

The doorway effect describes the phenomenon where people forget what they were about to do or why they entered a room after passing through a doorway or threshold, or simply moving to a different location. It's a type of short-term memory loss. This effect is linked to how our brains process memories and environmental context, showing how our surroundings and boundaries can influence the way we process, store, and recall information.


Other phrases people have used for this phenomenon are the "location-updating effect" and the "event horizon effect."


The doorway effect can happen with literal doorways, like walking from the living room to the kitchen and forgetting that you were planning to grab a glass of water. It can also happen with other types of boundaries, like browsing the internet on your phone and switching to your notes app, but immediately forgetting what you wanted to type as soon as the note app appears.


Notre Dame researchers said it best in 2011:

Walking through doorways causes forgetting.

The science of forgetting stuff in new locations

When you have a specific goal or intention in mind, you'd think that it would be easy to remember what the goal was. So why do our brains hit a reset button when we cross certain boundaries?


Let's look at the neuroscience.


👉 There's more information on studies about the doorway effect in this Scientific American article!


Brain regions involved in the doorway effect

Hippocampus

The hippocampus is important for learning and memory. It helps us form episodic memories (more on that below) and combines information about a particular experience into one "complete" memory of the event. (This includes where an event took place, which is usually on the other side of the house.)


So, when you walk through a doorway, the hippocampus updates your context to the new space. This can end up disrupting your short-term memory, making you forget your original intention.


Prefrontal cortex (PFC)

The prefrontal cortex helps manage short-term memory and decision-making. When you walk into a new room, it shifts your focus to the different environment, which can momentarily interfere your working memory and cause you to forget why you entered the room.


The additional cognitive load from processing new sensory information also contributes to this brief memory lapse. (More on that below, too!)


Why the brain forgets what it was about to do

Contextual shifts and working memory

When you move from one room to another, your brain recognizes this as a change in environment. It updates your working memory to match and adapt to the new setting.


But it can also push other information out of your working memory (e.g., the thing you needed to get or do in the current room,) which leads to you forgetting information you processed and plans you made in the previous room.


Episodic memory (memory compartmentalization)

Our brains compartmentalize information and memories based on events and locations. This memory grouping is what scientists call "episodic memory," and it's actually a good thing! Otherwise, our memories would be unorganized and hard to remember.


The downside to episodic memory is that it's very sensitive to any type of boundary marker ("event boundary marker"), which can be anything that helps our brains categorize different stimuli into the appropriate memory group.


So, when you walk through a doorway, it's like closing a chapter in a book and opening a new one. The context of the previous chapter (room) is "filed away," and the context and stimuli of the new chapter (room) is brought to the forefront. Hence, the doorway effect.


Cognitive load and sensory stimuli

Every time you walk through a doorway, your brain is momentarily overwhelmed with new sensory information that it needs to process. Things like:


  • I'm standing on a soft carpet.

  • It's dark in here.

  • I smell a subtle air freshener.

  • The floor is cluttered.

  • I hear the fan whirring.

  • The temperature feels warmer in this room.


All of these stimuli - and more - can be processed in a matter of milliseconds. This briefly overloads your cognitive capacity during the memory retrieval process, and now you forgot what you were planning to do.


Could it be a sign of something serious?

The doorway effect is generally regarded as a normal cognitive experience and not a sign of a serious mental health condition. It's just the human brain being obnoxious... What's new?


Joking aside - if you experience frequent and severe memory lapses, it might be worth discussing with a healthcare professional. They can rule out serious cognitive impairments or neurological conditions like amnesia, Alzheimer's, dementia, and dissociative identity disorder.


Do ADHDers experience the doorway effect more often?

It's possible that people with ADHD might experience the doorway effect more frequently due to their existing challenges with working memory and attention regulation. ADHD can make it harder to maintain focus on a single task, leading to more frequent contextual shifts and memory disruptions.


But it's important to remember that this is a normal human thing; not an ADHD thing. ADHD just exacerbates it at times.


Can you prevent the doorway effect?

The human brain is stubborn. It evolved its cognitive processes in order to survive, so it's not going to change its ways just so you can remember that you wanted to get your coffee out of the microwave. But that doesn't mean that you can't outsmart your brain.


Here are a few strategies you can try to combat the doorway effect and hopefully remember why you walked through that door in the first place:


Do a mental rehearsal.

Before you move to another room, "walk through" what you’re going to do in your mind. It sounds silly, but I'd be willing to bet that, like most people, you just wing it when you have to get up to do something. And that's fine and dandy... until your memory is obliterated by the doorway.


Just humor me and try mentally rehearsing it next time: Imagine yourself getting up, walking to the room, retrieving what you needed, and coming back to your original spot. See if that helps.


Chant it or sing about it.

I personally do this every single day, usually when I have several things to do in one trip. I say the things I need to do over and over - in order if necessary - and then remove them from my chant after I've done them. Bonus points if you turn it into a catchy song! 🎵


So, if you come over to my house for some reason and I'm wandering around and shouting out random objects ("Phone, pen, glasses, coffee. Phone, pen, glasses, coffee. Pen, glasses, coffee. Glasses, coffee. Glasses, coffee. Coffee. Coffee.") ... then you'll know I'm trying not to forget stuff while I walk through all the doors.


I've taught my son to do this, too. My husband must really love living with us.


Ask Alexa to remind you.

I may depend on Alexa a little too much, but she's honestly a lifesaver for my ADHD mom brain. If you know you're probably going to forget what you were going to do, have Alexa remind you in one or two minutes.


But the weird part is: you probably won't even need her reminder because the simple act of telling Alexa to remind you will probably keep the doorway effect from even happening.


If all else fails, retrace your steps.

If you do find yourself standing in a room wondering why you’re there, go back to the original room where you had the thought. (I know, I know, I never want to do that either.) The familiar context should trigger your memory. If it doesn't, go through the motions of what you remember doing before you had the thought.


Let's wrap this up

The doorway effect is an infuriating but normal part of how our brains function. Like always, understanding what’s happening in your mind can help you find effective ways to manage it and keep your working memory sharp.


Next time you find yourself puzzled in a new room, remember—it’s just your brain adapting to a new context! Sing about it next time, maybe. :)


 

Sources



About the Author

Sydni Rubio

Sydni Rubio (she/her) is an experienced writer and organic content creator with ADHD. She is passionate about neuropsychology, continued learning, mental health awareness, and accessible education. Her BSc in Biomedical Sciences and Chemistry helps her understand the latest mental health research, while her experience in teaching (as a college grad student and as a mother to her 8-year-old) gives her the ability to communicate complex information in an engaging way.

When she's not writing or hyperfocusing on website edits, you can find Sydni in a hammock under her sycamore tree or squatting in her builds during a Battle Royale match in Fortnite.

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