It’s something Lauren from Pennsylvania does every morning, Jimmy in Texas does before going to court, Linsey in Nebraska does on planes, and Robin in Louisiana does every night. Across the country a new habit has burrowed itself into our daily routines – double-checking. We double-check everything. The most common things seem to be making sure doors are locked and keys haven’t dropped out of purses or pockets, but what’s being checked depends on the person.

Lauren is devoted to checking her curling irons and making sure she unplugged them after leaving the house. She says, ” I am ALWAYS double-checking my curling irons. I’m often convinced I’m going to leave them on. I try to stick to a set process where I unplug and put them away each morning, but if I’m in a hurry I will sometimes just leave them on my bathroom counter. My husband works close to our home, so I can name at least five to ten times where I’ve called to have him run home at lunch and check them!”

Jimmy is concerned with a certain aspect of his wardrobe. He comments,” I’m a lawyer so I have to dress up when I go to court.  One day I forgot to double-check my shoes.  On one foot was a penny-loafer, on the other a burgundy slip-on.  To my astonishment, no one noticed.”

Linsey’s plane ritual ensures she doesn’t leave anything behind.  “I double-check my belongings when boarding and exiting on an airplane EVERY time.  I’m always checking for my driver’s license and boarding pass.  I don’t want to get stranded.  I have never lost anything, but I think it’s because I’m a “checker,” she adds.

Robin is convinced she is going to sleep in too late. “I double-check my alarm clock! In fact, I have two, and I double-check them several times each night, even though I rarely even change their settings,” she explains.

You can blame our compulsion on myriad reasons:  we’re doing so much that we might have forgotten something, we aren’t able to effectively multi-task, or we’ve just gotten more concerned with safety. But don’t feel alone in your compulsion. Elizabeth R. Lombardo, Ph.D., M.S., P.T, psychologist and physical therapist says, “Double (and triple) checking is not uncommon and tends to enhance in frequency the more stressed out we are.  Given the skyrocketing levels of stress, more and more people are double-checking. Why do people do it?  Our thoughts are very powerful – on how we feel and what we do. Little thoughts such as but what if I didn’t… or wait, was that yesterday can have a big impact on how we feel and what we do (e.g., check even though we know deep down we do not need to).  The rational can be seen in yeah, I know I turned off the coffeepot, but what if I didn’t?”

Jennifer C. Franklin, Ph.D., MACP is a licensed clinical psychologist who elaborates on our hectic lives.  “When we are not fully aware of what is happening from one moment to the next, when we are on auto pilot, we can easily do things without realizing we’ve done them.” She continues, “We record information as memories when we pay attention to certain things.  If we aren’t paying attention to locking the door, to where we place our keys, etc., then we are less able to record a clear memory of what we did and therefore second-guess ourselves.”

Judy in Connecticut has the same habit she follows before and after leaving her house. “I back out of my garage, turn onto the street and NEVER remember if I closed the garage door. I wind up either turning my car around at the end of the street to check, or backing up half way down the block to check again,” she adds.

And Steven in Seattle is careful to prevent mistakes. “I lift the mailbox lid a second time to make sure my letters went down into the box. Don’t know why I do it, because mailbox lids are designed so that nothing possibly can be left on them without sliding down inside when the lid is let go. Sometimes, double-checking can save money. I routinely add up my restaurant checks, and I’d say that 20% of all servers make some sort of addition error, resulting in overcharges,” he points out.

As for me, I have to go double-check that my cat hasn’t escaped from the condo and gotten into the hallway after my husband left for the office. She hasn’t done that before, but you just never know. 

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Tags: compulsion, double-checking, multi-task, stress