"Where did you have it last?"

[HYHYBT]

Invariably, when I say something like "hmm, I think I've lost my keys," someone will ask "well, where did you last have them?" If I knew that, they wouldn't be lost, now, would they? I'd NEVER have thought of checking where I'd been with them on my own! Does this somehow not infuriate other people?

[DrFaroohk]

It's a memory trick. The key to remembering something isn't to focus on your keys but to focus on where you were the last time you recall seeing them. From there you retrace your steps. Plus just having someone ask will jar the memory loose better than trying to dig it up yourself. Sometimes anyway.

[Andara Bledin]

And yet, despite that, I've helped people at work with that same question multiple times.

As DrF said, it's a memory thing. When you say something out loud, or even think of saying it, actually, you use different parts of the brain then when you just think of it to yourself with no intention of speaking.

^-.-^