The short answer
- What it is
- Forgetting what you came for after moving to another room. Researchers call it the doorway effect, or the location-updating effect.
- What the studies found
- Lab studies in 2006 and 2011 found a small drop in memory after walking into a new room.[1][2] A 2021 study of four experiments found no reliable effect, except when people were also holding other things in mind.[3]
- When it’s likelier
- When your mind is busy. Multitasking gets harder with age, according to the National Institute on Aging.[4]
- What helps
- Say the errand out loud before you get up. If you blank, look around, think back to what you were doing, and go back if you need to.
What is the doorway effect?
It’s the name for walking into a room and forgetting why you came.
Psychologists also call it the location-updating effect: the idea that moving from one place to another, through a doorway, can make what you were just thinking about harder to bring back.[2]
What did the research actually find?
Early studies found a small effect. A later set of four experiments couldn’t find it reliably.
- 2006: in a virtual building on a computer screen, people remembered objects less well after moving to a new room than when they stayed in the same space.[1]
- 2011: the same researchers found the drop again on smaller screens and in real rooms. Going back to the first room did not bring the memory back in their test.[2]
- 2021: a team in Australia ran four experiments, in virtual reality, on video and in real rooms. Overall, doorways made no significant difference. But when people were also holding other information in mind, they made more mistakes after a doorway.[3]
So the effect may be smaller, or depend more on the situation, than the early studies suggested. A busy mind seems to matter most.
Why would walking through a door make you forget?
One explanation is that the mind sorts the day into episodes, and a doorway can mark the start of a new one.
The 2011 researchers explain their results this way: what you meant to do gets filed with the room you just left, so it’s a little harder to reach from the new one.[2] It’s an explanation, not a settled fact, which is why the 2021 results matter.
Does it happen more when you’re busy or distracted?
It seems to. That’s the clearest finding from the 2021 study.
When people were holding other things in mind at the same time, a doorway made their memory more open to mix-ups.[3] Mayo Clinic gives similar everyday advice: limit distractions and don’t do too many things at once.[6]
Is it normal as you get older, or a sign of dementia?
Occasional moments like this are common. On their own, they aren’t a sign of dementia.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) says mild, age-related forgetfulness is often a normal part of aging, and that multitasking can get harder with age.[5][4] The NIA suggests talking with a doctor if memory problems make everyday things hard, or if you notice signs such as:
- asking the same questions over and over;
- getting lost in places you used to know well;
- having trouble following recipes or directions;
- becoming more confused about time, people and places.[5]
This page is general information, not medical advice.
What should I do when it happens?
Stop, look around, think back, and go back if you need to.
- Stop for a moment. Rushing to the next room rarely helps.
- Look around. Something in the room may jog the reason you came.
- Think back to what you were doing just before you got up.
- Go back to where you started. At home, that room is full of cues about what you were doing. In one lab test, going back didn’t restore memory,[2] so treat it as one more way to jog it, not a sure thing.
How can I make it happen less?
Give the errand a moment of attention before you move.
- Say it out loud: “Scissors, kitchen drawer.” Mayo Clinic suggests repeating new information and focusing on what you want to remember.[6]
- Picture it. See yourself opening the drawer and taking out the scissors.
- Carry a cue. Take the parcel with you if you’re going for the tape.
- One errand at a time, when you can.
- Write it down if it matters. Notes and lists are among the NIA’s everyday memory tools.[5] For things that go missing, see how to stop losing your keys and glasses.
Why do I forget what I was going to say?
It’s the same idea: an interruption or a change of topic is a kind of doorway.
When you feel a thought slipping while someone else is talking, hold on to one word for it (“the dentist”) and say it to yourself. In a long conversation, a small notepad helps. If a name is the thing that slips, there’s a separate guide: how to remember names.
Try it: a two-room practice
Read these five things once, slowly. Picture each one. Then walk to another room, sit down and write them below without looking. Come back and check.
- a blue mug
- the scissors
- a library book
- reading glasses
- a birthday card
Check your answers
a blue mug, the scissors, a library book, reading glasses, a birthday card.
Tomorrow, try it again, but say the list out loud before you walk. Notice whether that helps. This is practice, not a test.
A room-to-room card to print
Keep it on the fridge or by the stairs. It’s the same three steps before you get up, and three if you blank.
Where this comes up in the journal
The Everyday Memory Journal practices this kind of attention in short daily activities, such as The Room Walk (Day 18), with helpers like Say it as you do it (Day 19) and One thing at a time (Day 25). Answers for every activity start on page 49.
Print the first three days free, or read how to stop losing your keys and glasses.
Quick questions
Does everyone do this?
It’s very common. It happens at any age, and it’s more likely when your mind is on several things at once.
Is it a sign of dementia?
Not on its own. The National Institute on Aging says mild forgetfulness is often a normal part of aging, and lists the signs that are worth raising with a doctor, such as asking the same questions over and over or getting lost in places you used to know well.
Can practice make it happen less?
Practice can make the habits on this page automatic: saying the errand aloud, carrying a cue and writing things down. No one can promise it changes memory itself.
Free by email
Five Memory Warm-Ups, free by email
Five short memory activities in the journal’s format, each about ten minutes, with answers. Ten large-print pages to print at home, in US Letter or A4. They aren’t in the free sample or the guides.
Get it freeIt’s free, and no card is needed. On Gumroad, the online shop we use, leave the price at 0, click “Add to cart” and enter your email address; the PDFs arrive straight away. You’ll then get occasional emails from Wren & Co.: up to five over three weeks (four with tips, the last about our US$19 journal), then only now and then. You can unsubscribe at any time. How we use your email
Sources
[1] Walking through doorways causes forgetting: situation models and experienced space
[2] Walking through doorways causes forgetting: Further explorations
[3] Doorways do not always cause forgetting: a multimodal investigation
[4] How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking
nia.nih.gov/health/brain-health/how-aging-brain-affects-thinking
[5] Memory Problems, Forgetfulness, and Aging
nia.nih.gov/health/memory-loss-and-forgetfulness/memory-problems-forgetfulness-and-aging
[6] Memory loss: 7 tips to improve your memory
mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/healthy-aging/in-depth/memory-loss/art-20046518