The Tetris Effect and Reality Checking

**TheWeirdnessSymposium** · 10-04-2009 12:04 PM

The Tetris Effect has been discussed on Dream Views.

Wikipedia article:

The Tetris effect occurs when an activity to which people devote sufficient time and attention begins to overshadow their thoughts, mental images, and dreams.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_effect

and there have been discussions about how this effect (and the effect of other games) could be used as an induction technique.

It has also been pointed out that the Tetris Effect only works for a short time - I think this may be because the game remains a novel task to your brain for only a short period of time. Then, (total speculation here) I guess the activity enters your long-term memory and is stored differently by the brain.

For example, in the early days of doing a new job, the tasks of the new job often become involved in your daydreams, HIs and dreams. But after a certain time, this stops occurring - regardless of how hard you work on that task during the day.

Novelty and Reality Checking

So this has got me thinking that reality-checking in the same way, regularly, ad nauseum, can only be effective up to a certain point - during the early days of RCing, when it's still a novelty.

The idea is, for RCing to work in the longer term, you'd have to introduce an element of novelty to your RCing. Or introduce a repetitive element. You'd have to keep finding ways to make the RCing for it to work.

**Arutad** · 10-04-2009 01:40 PM

I don't see how you can compare the two activities. Sheer repetitiveness required for creating a tetris effect can hardly be ever imitated by reality-checking. The latter isn't done repetitively in a rapid succession and without interruption for a very long period.

**chase** · 10-04-2009 02:27 PM

I don't believe the two have the same effect on the brain. I don't believe any of us actually do RC's out of habit, we'd like to but that isn't the case. When performing a RC most of us are aware of the action unless you're dreaming it can differ. But in this case we'll assume that we're awake. The Tetris Effect is clearly happening in the mind without you necessarily knowing it. Almost as if it comes naturally and clearly Reality Checks do not.

Nine times out of ten they are forced. So with that, performing a RC every time you enter a door shouldn't lose its effect (ever) unless you're not paying attention or unable to make the connection.

Feel free to argue this though.

-Chase

**TheWeirdnessSymposium** · 10-04-2009 02:56 PM

Thanks guys.

There are no arguments, Chase. Just questions at this stage of my LD journey. I'm learning all I can, and as I find some things frustrating along the way I'm brainstorming and looking for creative ways forward.

It's nice to be able to get ideas and questions, "Out there" and to get sensible, well thought out answers without being accused of self-aggrandisement or having a hidden agenda.

**Arutad** · 10-05-2009 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by TheWeirdnessSymposium

It's nice to be able to get ideas and questions, "Out there" and to get sensible, well thought out answers without being accused of self-aggrandisement or having a hidden agenda.

Omg! Who have you been talking to?

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