The Tetris effect is a cognitive phenomenon in which intensive engagement with an activity, most famously the video game Tetris, carries over into a person's later perceptions, thoughts, and even dreams. People who have played Tetris for extended periods report involuntarily noticing how different shapes in the real world could fit together, and seeing colored images of falling pieces when they close their eyes or fall asleep, illustrating how sustained mental effort on a task can reshape everyday perception and cognition even after the activity itself has stopped.
Facts
Core ClaimDevoting substantial time, effort and concentration to an activity alters thoughts, dreams and other experiences not directly linked to that activity. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Connections
In Branch
Source Tetris effect, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Tetris effect, Wikipedia
Lead section
The Tetris effect occurs when someone dedicates substantial time, effort, and concentration to an activity and thereby alters their thoughts, dreams, and other experiences not directly linked to said activity.
Article text
The earliest known reference to the term appears in Jeffrey Goldsmith's article, "This is Your Brain on Tetris", published in Wired in May 1994
In Branch: Cognitive Psychology, Lead sentence
The Tetris effect occurs when someone dedicates substantial time, effort, and concentration to an activity and thereby alters their thoughts, dreams, and other experiences not directly linked to said activity.
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