“They were right in front of me all the time!” said my husband sheepishly as he came in from his workshop.
Have you ever had one of those moments my friend, where you have been searching for something looking high & low, checking & rechecking the same area only to find what you’ve been looking for has been right in front of you all the time?
This is what my husband experienced this week (shared with his permission).
Although, I think we can all relate to going through a similar experience when we’ve misplaced things like car keys, our mobile phone or eye glasses.
Why this fascinating psychological phenomenon happens is what we’ll be discussing today over our cuppa’s.
Today, I have a blend of Russian Caravan & Lady Grey tea, my creation & a home made Date & Almond Protein ball, delicious!
What are you having my friend?
It’s about assumptions & expectations!
Researchers found that the reason we often can’t find what we’re looking for, even though it’s often right in front of us is that our expectation of that object has become slightly skewed in our memory bank.
Let me explain;
In my husband’s case he had a certain picture in his mind of what that particular thing looked like, he even described it to me in detail.
My normally highly organised man had recently reorganised his workshop thus causing the situation.
When he actually found what he was looking for he realised it wasn’t exactly what he had pictured in his mind after all.
In other words his expectation of what it looked like had become slightly skewed because it wasn’t in it’s normal setting.
It’s the same case when we ‘lose’ something like our car keys or mobile phone, if they’re not found where we would normally expect them to be, our expectation of seeing them in their familiar setting is instantly skewed within our mind.
Confusion & panic ensue.
Then in our search for the item we can miss it even when it’s right in front of us!
As stated in the following article;
“What we pay attention to is largely determined by our expectations of what should be present,”
said Christopher Chabris, a cognitive psychologist and researcher. Ref
Christopher’s research highlighted how incorrect assumptions from our expectations can inhibit our ability to see what’s right in front of us.
So very interesting!
‘And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more
in real knowledge and all discernment,
so that you may approve the things that are excellent,
in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.’
Phil 1:9
Please be very alert to false & misleading doctrines that are presented as ‘truth’ dear friend.
Let the Holy Spirit & God’s Word be your guide.
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or
In Prayer
© 2023 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
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One Bible verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” This verse reminds us to trust in God’s guidance and seek His wisdom, rather than relying solely on our own assumptions or the abundance of information around us.
Thank you for sharing this insightful post and for encouraging us to be discerning in our pursuit of truth. Let’s continue to rely on the Holy Spirit and God’s Word as our ultimate guide in navigating through the complexities of life. God bless you, Jennifer!
Best,
Aritha
Thankyou & indeed Aritha. Lovely having you drop by today 🙂
Stopping by for a cuppa today. This is really interesting thanks for the clarification. Kinda like when I can’t find my phone then I realize I’m talking on it. Or when I can’t find my glasses but their on top of my head.
Thank you for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend.
Yes, that’s right Paula! Lovely having you join me here today ❤️
I recently had this happen when I was looking for the title for one of our vehicles. I was convinced I would need to request a duplicate since I couldn’t find it, but then realized I’d looked at it probably a dozen times – and thought it was for a different vehicle. Great object lesson! We need to let the truth of God’s Word be our standard against which all other ideas about it must be measured, and not the other way around. Visiting from Sweet Tea & Friends today.
Oh how I can relate Kym! We get expectation bias in those situations. Lovely having you join me in a cuppa today 😊
I’m glad to know my husband is not the only one who can’t find something he is looking at! 🙂
I appreciate your warning: “Our measuring stick for the truth should always be guided by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word.” It’s so important to know the Word and to have discernment by the Holy Spirit. False teachers love to twist in one thing false amongst truth.
Yes, we need to be on guard Jerralea as truth taken twisted & shaken becomes heresy while looking like a form of truth, which the enemy loves of course.
Lovely having you drop by today ☺️
I love how we can find wisdom in seemingly everyday things and struggles. I have plenty of experiences where I’m looking for something right before me. Because, yes, we expect something different.
I agree Lux! Lovely having you drop by today ☺️
I so relate to your husband’s predicament. I once spent a long time looking for my white mixer, forgetting that I’d replaced it with a black one. I probably looked at the black one a dozen times before I finally “saw” it for the first time on my shelf. 🙂
I think we can all relate Lisa, I find it such an interesting phenomena. 🙂
This is so interesting, Jennifer, “‘What we pay attention to is largely determined by our expectations of what should be present,’ said Christopher Chabris, a cognitive psychologist and researcher.” Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! That it is Lisa, very interesting indeed!
Thank you, Jennifer! There are many false teachers who are not teaching the truth of God’s Word. It has become very prevalent here. May we recognize the false teachers by knowing the truth of scripture.
Blessings my friend,
Pam
Yes, it’s the same here too Pam. We need to be discerning & alert. Blessings to you too sweet friend ❤️