Quantum Zeno effect

The Quantum Zeno effect is a quantum physics application of one of Zeno's paradoxes, proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher, whereby if you observe an object in motion at any given time, it doesn't appear to be moving. And since time is made of these infinitely short snapshots of idleness, there can be no motion.

Of course, motion exists and this is philosophical nonsense, but thanks to it, we have a cool name for the Quantum Zeno effect, which states you can slow down a particle's movement by measuring it more frequently.

The same idea can be applied more widely:

• The more often you look at your investment portfolio or any analytics, the less changes. If you come back a month or a year later, then things have changed - so what's the purpose of looking daily?
• You cannot see the effects of your exercise programme in the mirror, but you can in a photo taken 5 months ago.
• The more often you check on progress with your team, the more you interrupt their work with reports and check in meetings, thus slowing down progress.

• Wikipedia
• Hawthorne effect: worker productivity changing when observed
• Demand characteristics: subjects of psychological experiments responding or behaving differently because they know they are studied