Can anyone tell me why it is when you are looking for something either at home, work etc that you pull the place apart looking for it and can't find it for love nor money and then all of a sudden you find it staring you in the face. How come you don't notice it the first time you look for it?.
2007-02-19 10:46:42 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
This same thing happens when you try to proofread a manuscript. If your mindset is not totally neutral, you will not find all the errors. The problem people create when they are searching for some lost article is they do not visualise the object with nothing else on their minds at that moment. It has to be point-focus kind of searching, or the object will elude even the most careful individual. What you are saying, ineffect, is that you can look right at it and not see it, and yes, that is very frustrating, especially when a child or someone else will bring it to you from an area where you have just been searching. Their mind is clear, yours may not have been at that time...
2007-02-19 11:19:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a number of sayings, such as "You can't see the forrest through the trees" which means that your mind is so locked on some detail that it is unable to recognize the obvious. You just plain over look it the first several times you look. When you have been looking for it for a while your mind becomes tired and open to recognizing new details.
2007-02-19 18:51:48 · answer #2 · answered by ttpawpaw 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a well known, so called, deep trance phenomenon called negative hallucination. Whereas positive hallucination is seeing something that isn't there, negative hallucination is not seeing something when you look right at it.
It occurs naturally to most people - basically your brain is selectively ignoring certain information it's getting from your eyes. That tells you "how" it happens - but I don't think anybody knows for certain "why" it happens.
2007-02-19 19:07:18 · answer #3 · answered by gsp100677 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That usually never happens to me. Usually the missing item is in some bizarre place, whether my keys fell in between the seat or my envelope is in the refrigerator where it isn't supposed to be.
2007-02-19 18:52:29 · answer #4 · answered by August lmagination 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you dont notice it the first time because yur in such a rush to find what your looking for that you forget what your looking for and end up looking for something else. then you remeber and ther it is mocking you that it took u so long to find it.
2007-02-19 18:50:36 · answer #5 · answered by *Katrina* ;-) 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That is a good question. Its Murphys law.
Probably because we just dont expect it to be RIGHT In front of our faces; otherwise, we would not have had to look for it.
2007-02-19 18:51:10 · answer #6 · answered by Trish 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
... and to think.., we fallible human beings are sending men into space to circle the earth in a glorified tin-can called a Space Station. Now THATS scary.
2007-02-19 19:04:02 · answer #7 · answered by Victor ious 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I found my car keys in the fridge once.
I don't know whether to blame my stupid brain or my naughty 3 year old.
2007-02-19 18:55:59 · answer #8 · answered by Straight Talker 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the first time you must look straight through it..... in a right tizz and impatient so maybe we are not looking at all
2007-02-19 19:11:49 · answer #9 · answered by hay12752006 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
maybe because deep inside u dont actually really want to find it
2007-02-19 18:58:54 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋