In 1927, the researcher published a study in which volunteers were asked to complete a series of mathematical exercises and solve riddles, among other activities. During the study, they were interrupted before completing the exercises. Ninety percent of the volunteers preferred to stay until they had completed all the exercises.
Finally, it was shown that participants were better able to recall mom database tasks they had been unable to complete due to the interruption than those they had successfully completed.
The brain is wired to crave complete stories; therefore, the lack of an ending creates dissatisfaction. This happens thanks to a psychological effect of unfinished business: the Zeigarnik effect.
People are accustomed to cycles and closures. Unfinished stories or jokes without punchlines leave people feeling a bit uncomfortable. Undoubtedly, the Zeigarnik effect is used in film, literature, and TV series due to the dependency effect that an unfinished resolution creates in the viewer.
If you want to capture people's attention through stories, it's essential to understand how the brain responds to these types of resources and stimuli. To illustrate cliffhangers in more detail, let's analyze the case of Netflix.
Netflix is one of the clearest current examples of the use of cliffhangers. The multi-season series format has managed to reach and engage all types of audiences around the world. This is largely due to the use of cliffhangers, through loose ends and unfinished business.