I feel like this is a not uncommon series of events when I’m faced with a problem:
- I have a problem.
- I try to fix the problem, to no avail.
- I resign myself to the problem being unsolvable.
- Shortly afterwards, the problem is resolved with minimal effort on my part.
For example, suppose I’ve lost a set of keys. I spend a while searching the flat for them, to no avail. I give up, sit down and perhaps call somebody to whinge about it – and then spot them sitting in front of me. Complaining about it is often the precursor to discovering it’s been fixed.
Is there a phrase that describes this feeling, of a problem that solves itself shortly after you’ve given up?
I’ve often said Murphy’s law or sod’s law of the universe to describe this sort of event, but I don’t think that’s accurate – this isn’t a bad thing (far from it!), it’s just a shorthand to say “it’s a weird quirk of life”.
I considered the term heisenbug, but (1) that seems a bit technical, and (2) the problem is solved, not reproducing intermittently. To me, a heisenbug is still a concern even if it doesn’t reproduce on demand, because it might recur later. That’s not the case here.
Perhaps this is some form of irony? I was thinking perhaps situational irony, but I’m aware that this is a heavily overused term, and I’m not sure if it’s accurate here.
I’ve tried googling, and looking back through old phrase-request questions, to no avail. I’m not sure if there’s a term I’m not finding, or if this is just less common than I think.
Best Answer
The scenario you describe is attributable to Humphrey's Law, which states that 'a normally automatic or unconscious activity is disrupted by consciousness of it or reflection on it'.
Of course, this assumes that the reason you don't find your keys is that you're too consciously focused on the act and outcome of finding your keys to allow the instinctive and unconscious mechanisms of your brain to do what they need to do to actually find them - and that the reason they eventually turn up is that this impediment of consciousness is removed.
But we all know the real reason: the universe is laughing at you.
Which, of course, is Sod's Law.