Mike Carruthers

That boundary acts like a file separator in your memory.

The stuff you were just thinking about gets shoved into one folder, and a fresh new folder gets started when you walk into the next room.

The result is that what you intended to remember becomes harder to access, even though it was right on the top of your mind moments earlier.

In a classic study, researchers had people carry objects through different spaces.

Those who went through a doorway were measurably worse at recalling what it was they were carrying than those who walked the same distance without crossing a doorway.

And I suspect it happens to just about everybody from time to time.

And that is something you should know.

If you enjoyed this episode, I hope you will share it with a friend.

Just make it a point today to tell one person, and it would really help us a lot.

I'm Mike Carruthers.

Thanks for listening today to Something You Should Know.

A lot of people are feeling stressed right now.

And you think you know what stress feels like.

Faster heartbeat, tight shoulders, feeling overwhelmed.

But what if the biggest impact of stress isn't how it makes you feel, it's how it makes you think?

That's today's SYSK trending topic, how stress distorts your thinking.

Under pressure, your brain shifts into a different mode.

You become more reactive, more negative, and more convinced that the worst case scenario is right around the corner.

You may think you're being logical, but stress quietly narrows your perspective and exaggerates the danger.

In my conversation with clinical psychologist Arthur Sierra-McCauley, we explore what's happening in your brain when stress rises.