Where to look when you lose your keys

Angela Mueller / CC

If you’ve lost your keys, you might think it’s best to search in the most obvious, open areas before moving on to more cluttered areas. But a study found our peripheral vision is better than we think, and being so thorough while searching might actually be a waste of time. The scavenger hunt-style study (University of Aberdeen) found that people tend to spend a lot of time searching for objects in “easy” areas even though it provides them with no new information. Researchers recommend you start searching for your keys, or whatever it is you’ve lost, in areas where they’d be hard to spot. So don’t check the table, counter, bed, and floor over and over. Focus on areas that have the most clutter, and scan through locations where you peripheral vision wouldn’t be able to pick up the shape of the item so easily. Piles of clothes, messy drawers, and crowded coffee tables are a better use of your time. If your keys we’re somewhere obvious, you would have already found them.