The Ending Has an Expiry Date
Doctors once made a colonoscopy longer on purpose so patients would come back; here's what that says about the mirror moment, why its pull fades before the next appointment, and the one thing to do before your client stands up.
Priya and Hector · 22 min · 13 Oct 2026
Verified to the FactUnion StandardChecked 13 Oct 2026
About this episode
In a Toronto trial, doctors left the scope in for about three extra minutes at the end of a colonoscopy, and more of those patients came back for the next one. Behind that trial is the peak-end rule: we remember an experience mostly by its high point and how it ended. Priya, a behavioural scientist who once did brows at a mall kiosk, and Hector, a barber with eighteen years behind the chair, look at how strong that evidence really is, where it breaks down, and why a haircut is more like a holiday than an ice bath.
Then comes the twist. Research suggests ending-driven memory starts to fade somewhere between three and seven weeks, which is about one haircut, colour or lash-fill cycle. So your mirror moment probably won't bring a client back six weeks from now. Its real job is the booking you ask for before they stand up. We say plainly what is proven, what is promising, and what no one has tested in a salon yet.
Hosted by Priya and Hector, performed by synthetic voices. Verified to the FactUnion Standard. Supported by Lynqly.
Fact sheet
Every fact used in this episode, with the source it was checked against. Download the fact sheet
174 of 174 recorded lines matched the checked script.
Redelmeier, Katz and Kahneman's colonoscopy trial, published in Pain in 2003, randomized 682 patients.
Memories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial (Redelmeier, Katz, Kahneman 2003)Memories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial : PainMemories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial
In that trial, 53% of patients in the extended-ending group returned for a repeat colonoscopy, compared with 48% of the control group.
Memories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial (Redelmeier, Katz, Kahneman 2003)
After controlling for prior colonoscopy, procedure indications and abnormal findings, the extended-ending group had 41% higher odds of returning (P = 0.038), while the unadjusted 18% increase was not statistically significant (P > 0.20).
Memories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial (Redelmeier, Katz, Kahneman 2003)
The extended ending in the trial meant leaving the colonoscope in place for about three additional minutes.
Redelmeier et al., 2003: Leaving colonoscope in rectum for additional three minutesMemories of Colonoscopy: A Randomized Trial
A 2022 meta-analysis in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (vol. 170) pooled 174 effect sizes and found a large peak-end effect of r = 0.581 (95% CI 0.487 to 0.661).
All's well that ends (and peaks) well? A meta-analysis of the peak-end rule and duration nAll’s well that ends (and peaks) well? A meta-analysis of the peak-end rule and duration nAll’s well that ends (and peaks) well? A meta-analysis of the peak-end rule and duration n
The 2022 meta-analysis found the peak-end effect stronger than the effects of the beginning, the low point and the duration of an experience, with duration showing essentially no effect.
All's well that ends (and peaks) well? A meta-analysis of the peak-end rule and duration nAll’s well that ends (and peaks) well? A meta-analysis of the peak-end rule and duration nPsychology | Psychology Dissertation Defense by Balca ...
A 2019 Frontiers in Psychology paper reports that for complex, heterogeneous everyday experiences, average feeling often predicts retrospective evaluations better than the peak-end rule does.
From Experience to Memory: On the Robustness of the Peak-and-End-Rule for Complex, Heteroghttps://public-pages-files-2025.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsygFrom experience to memory: On the robustness of the peak-and-end-rule for complex, heterog
A 2016 paper is titled 'Questioning the end effect: Endings are not inherently over-weighted in retrospective evaluations of experiences.'
Questioning the end effectAPA PsycNET(PDF) Questioning the End Effect: Endings Are Not
Talya Miron-Shatz of Princeton University describes evaluating multi-episode events as a boundary condition for the peak-end rule.
Evaluating multi-episode events: A boundary condition for the peak-end ruleEvaluating multiepisode events (2009) | Ethnos Bibliography
A test of the peak-end rule using extended autobiographical events such as holidays found limited predictive power for the rule.
A test of the peak-end rule with extended autobiographical eventsA test of the peak-end rule with extended autobiographical eventsPeak–end rule: Did It Replicate? | Bias Atlas
A 2024 Journal of Business Research study (vol. 185) by McCullough and colleagues analysed more than 5,000 customer stays at a hotel over a five-year period.
First impressions vs. The Peak-End Rule: Episodic evaluations in a service experience and
That 2024 hotel study found first impressions were the most significant contributor to overall satisfaction and to evaluations of frontline staff, and became more important as the time between the stay and the evaluation grew.
Neal, Wood and Quinn (2006) describe habits as repeated behaviours triggered automatically by cues in the context where they usually happen, rather than by deliberate intentions.
Habits: A Repeat Performance (Neal, Wood, Quinn 2006)APS Journal ArticleHabits—A Repeat Performance
In Martin et al.'s 2012 NHS study, having patients write down their own appointment details reduced missed appointments by 18% compared with the previous six-month average.
Commitments, norms and custard creams: a social influence approach to reducing did not attCommitments, norms and custard creams – a social influence approach to reducing did not at
The Martin et al. study was not a randomized trial: it ran from February to May 2011 at two Bedfordshire practices (Wheatfield Surgery and Toddington Medical Centre) and reported percentage changes rather than raw no-show rates.
Commitments, norms and custard creamsCommitments, norms and custard creams – a social influence approach to reducing did not at
In the same study, asking patients to repeat their appointment back to staff cut missed appointments by 3.5%, and combining these steps with posters highlighting how many patients attended produced a 31.7% reduction.
Commitments, norms and custard creamsCommitments, norms and custard creams – a social influence approach to reducing did not atHow social norms reduced missed hospital appointments by 31.7% - The Decision Lab
A 2023 pragmatic trial in US Veterans Affairs primary care and mental health clinics found that behavioural nudges had no significant effect on missed appointment rates.
Using Nudges to Reduce Missed Appointments in Primary Care and Mental Health: a Pragmatic HSR Citation AbstractUsing Nudges to Reduce Missed Appointments in Primary Care and Mental Health: a Pragmatic
Research on implementation intentions (Gollwitzer) proposes that linking a specific future situation to a planned action makes follow-through more automatic.
Implementation Intentions (Gollwitzer 1999)Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans.Full article: If-then planning
A Cochrane review of eight randomized trials with 6,615 participants found text reminders increased attendance from 67.8% to 78.6%.
Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments | CochraneMobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments - Gurol‐Urganci
2026 industry reporting says about 71% of solo beauty professionals operate as booth renters or independent contractors, up from 58% in 2019.
2026 state of the solo beauty business (ChairHold)Booth rent as a cost driver for solo beauty pros: when the 1099 chair pays off and when it
A 2026 Lutily blog post, labeled as an illustrative story with a fictional narrator, describes a four-chair salon owner whose rebooking rate rose from 47% to 71% over about seven months after the rebooking conversation was moved into the final five minutes of the service.
Salon Rebooking Script: Borrowed from Hotel Turndown (Lutily Blog)
There is no peer-reviewed controlled evidence that booking the next appointment before a salon client leaves increases return rates; the benchmarks commonly cited come from vendors and consultants.
Appointment No-Shows: What the Evidence Actually SupportsPatient Retention Strategies Ranked by Evidence | VelaryaReduce No-Shows: Appointment Reminders That Work | ZOPPLY
Removed during checking (1)
Geng and colleagues (2013, Journal of Behavioral Decision Making) identified roughly 3 to 7 weeks as the watershed between short retention intervals, when people rely on peak and end feelings, and long intervals, when they rely on both specific memories and general knowledge.
