I’m glad it has a name. And I’m also, relievedly, glad it’s normal. The Doorway Effect. I’m sure it’s happened to you. You walk into a room and immediately forget what you came in for. I’ve been afraid of some early onset of something because I’ve noticed it more and more, but it turns out that this is a normal brain function. A recent article by Jessica Estrada explains that our brains are constantly framing. A large part of that framing has to do with our physical location. When you step through a doorway that framing changes and some of the residue (what I came in here for) might easily get left in your previous location. In other words, it seems to be an effect of humans making different rooms for different purposes. Our thought lingers in the place it was first born.
Our brains are fascinating organs. Every time I read about how children’s brains form, I wish I’d studied psychology instead of religion. How we could help our children if we understood what their brains just aren’t capable of doing just yet! How many spankings could have been avoided if parents understood brain development? Beating someone doesn’t teach anything. Instead, we might try to learn how minds use brains. Young boys can be quite reckless. One of the reasons? Their brains haven’t developed enough yet to think through the consequences of their actions. Yes, they can push limits for other reasons, but their thinking simply doesn’t yet involve adult caution that (hopefully) comes with a developing brain. One of the real consequences of this, for which I’ll volunteer as a poster child, is religion.
Children’s brains are not developed enough to accept and comprehend religious thinking until they’re about 12. We’ve known this for many decades now. And yet, the theology of parents means they try to convince their children of religious truths before their brains are developed enough to sort it out. Look at Congress and the Supreme Court to see the results of this. Most people never seriously question their religion. For many it was instilled in them as children, before their brains could properly process it. The rest of the country pays for it with laws then enact. We’ve known about this for decades and have decided that studying religion is a waste of time. But I digress. Now I forget what I started to say when I began this post.