katherinecroftonI love little mind tricks. They always fascinate me and make me wonder how exactly they work.
I, of course, have my favorites and I may need to add this one to my list. I won’t explain it too much beforehand, but I will give some instructions.
Focus on what the black box is telling you to do and do not cheat and scroll down to the bottom too quickly. The short amount of time spent is well worth the wait. Trust me!
Ready? Begin!
How many of you thought “red hammer”?
Now it is time to explain how it works.
This whole test is is based on a scientific phenomenon called cognitive load. Basically, when the mind is working on a specific task, it does not have the freedom to wander. Thus, it relies on the limited amount of elements short term memory is able to contain.
Under cognitive load, 98% of people will pick the color red and the tool hammer. This is because there short term memory is in control and the brain is unable to wander. However, once the brain is no longer in cognitive load, one can easily think of many other answers to the question. (Source)
My choice was “yellow hammer”, but I don’t think I was completely in cognitive load. I tend to multi-task and the main color on the TV at the time of the color tool question was yellow. I think that I how I defeated it.
What color and tool did you pick?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
(h/t: Simple Capacity)