It pops up on your feed with bright, bold text: “FIND ME A CITY THAT STARTS WITH N THAT IS NOT NEW YORK….” It seems like a gift—a comment-section victory so easy a toddler could do it. Yet, for a split second, many people find themselves drawing a complete blank.
This viral prompt is a classic example of “The Red Herring Effect” mixed with a bit of psychological anchoring. Here is why such a simple question generates thousands of comments and a surprising amount of mental friction.
The Anchor: Why “New York” Ruined Your Thinking
In psychology, anchoring occurs when an initial piece of information (the “anchor”) is used to make subsequent judgments. By explicitly mentioning “New York,” the prompt forces your brain to center its search around that specific mental file.
Instead of scanning a global map of cities, your brain gets stuck in a loop of “Not New York,” which paradoxically keeps the thought of New York front and center. This is often called the Ironic Process Theory—the more you try to suppress a thought, the more it persists.
Breaking the Block: A World of “N” Cities
Once you break free from the New York anchor, the floodgates open. There are thousands of major global hubs and charming towns that fit the bill.
Famous “N” Cities
