What happens when we know that there is something that we forgot but we can't remember what it was?

Question

I think it happens for everyone that sometimes we go to a room and forget why we went there. Is there any research or article on this?

Answer 1

It is a phenomenon known as room amnesia, some research has shown that your brain may use physical barriers like the room and doorways as a way to compartmentalize thoughts. One article summarizes it here:

The researchers say that when you pass through a doorway, your mind compartmentalizes your actions into separate episodes. Having moved into a new episode, the brain archives the previous one, making it less available for access. It’s as if you slam a mental door between what you knew and…what was I saying?

This is the research.