I have this fun personality test I love playing with people I have just met. It is called “A Walk in the Forest”, featuring questions in imaginary scenarios, from choosing an animal companion to deciding on rescuing someone in a thunderstorm. It is fun because the other party has no idea about the questions they are answering, and with no right or wrong answers, there is no pressure on anyone.
Entertainment aside, such games are essentially relational psychology tests. The idea is that a lot of our personality traits, habits, and priorities can be revealed through our preferences, unconscious desires, in-the-moment decisions, or reactions to various events. Regardless of how much truth the interpretive aspect of the game holds, it remains my favourite icebreaker in any social setting.
That said, the mysteries of the human mind have always intrigued me. And it is not just me, given how psychology consistently ranks among the top three university majors for Singapore students, not to mention easily within the top 10 most popular university majors globally.
At Scholarship Guide, we strive to empower our student readers by explaining fascinating psychology theories and everyday phenomena, clarifying the actions, emotions, and decisions of one’s own and others—so that they can navigate personal and academic challenges with greater understanding and resilience.
In this edition of our Scholarship Guide magazine, we explore the Zeigarnik Effect, a psychological phenomenon explaining why people struggle to recall information the moment their brains deem the information to be “unnecessary”, as often happens post- exams. It is also the same concept that sheds light on our obsession with unfinished business, such as lingering unresolved feelings or a TV series with a cliffhanger ending.
Understanding how the fear of failure can be paralysing, we hope that by sharing data science insights revealing the dynamics of failure in our article “How to Succeed After Failing”, we can help our young minds alter perspectives and foster a more positive attitude towards setbacks.
I hope you enjoy reading these carefully curated educational psychology content and uplifting scholars’ stories. May these perspectives pave the way for your journey to self-discovery. On behalf of our team, I thank you all for your continued support.