Hahaha....Aha!

I am the first to admit that when I am confronted with a problem that has not yet been solved, I become obsessed. Anything from riddles, to sudoku, to rubik’s cubes, to crossword puzzles, and even homework problems (well…sometimes) have the ability to grab my attention to such an extent that I can’t let go until I am successful. So what provides the incentive to partake in these tedious conundrums? While dopamine may play a role in the feelings of reward upon the completion of such puzzles, research suggests that the mere idea of trying to solve a puzzle shifts the brain into a different state- one that is playful, creative, and open- providing a pleasant escape, calling on not only intellect, but also creativity to find a solution. The longer a puzzle goes unsolved, the more taunting it becomes, until finally there is a spark. This “sudden insight” may be due to the recognition of subtle environmental cues by the brain, while it is in such a creative state, that are not otherwise picked up. “Creative problem solving requires both analysis and out of the box insight, which may be devoted to two entirely different states,” says Adam Anderson, a psychologist at the University of Toronto. A recent study from Northwestern University has found that humor may help us to better achieve this creative condition, flickering on that proverbial light bulb, and helping us pull together pieces of a previously unconnected puzzle. “What we think is happening is that the positive mood of humor lowers the brain’s threshold for detecting weaker or more remote connections to solve puzzles,” said Mark Beeman, a neuroscientist who conducted the study. With a positive mood, sudden insight tends to be the modus operandi as opposed to trial and error, suggesting that the state one is in prior to solving a puzzle really does have an effect on one’s efficiency in doing so. The anterior cingulate cortex, an area of the brain involved with selective attention, shows the most activity during problem solving. Surprisingly, the brain seems to widen its attentional capacity in evoking that “Aha!” moment, becoming more prone to distraction, but simultaneously more aware of the usually overlooked background cues hinting at a particular solution. Findings imply that a positive mood helps to set one in this broader state of attention, so that one is physically taking in more information, henceforth more clues to solving the problem.

So before your next exam, watch some funny clips or a comedy skit online to put yourself in a positive mood. It may not only relieve anxiety, but also help you to become a more creative thinker when getting through the exam.

Try it out for yourself right now! There are some interactive features linked in the margin of the article to test your problem solving ability. Click here.