April 29, 2004

Newsfeed: Marc Jung-Beeman

Marc Jung-Beeman explains the ‘Eureka!’ moment

A recent Northwestern study shows that there is actually a figurative light that goes off in the brain when someone has a “Eureka” moment. Marc Jung-Beeman, associate professor of psychology and lead author of the study, describes insight problems and how they can lead to an “Aha!” moment.

Insight problems have classically been defined as problems that, as people are trying to solve them, they feel they’re no longer making progress toward the solution. They get stuck. They’re at an impasse. To solve the problem they have to overcome that impasse by reinterpreting something about the problem. That reinterpretation seems to involve some unconscious processes. That is to say, some people don’t actually know how they do it.

Jung-Beeman says a specific area in the brain is active during those “Aha!” moments.

The most robust evidence we found focused on one particular brain system in the right temporal lobe, an area right over the right ear or just behind the right ear. This area seems to be engaged. We see an increase in neural activity in that area just before people solve the problem.

According to Jung-Beeman, the thought processes leading to the “Aha!” moment happen unconsciously.

In a more relaxed state, you’re more likely to have an insight. When you really focus and concentrate on a problem, it’s good if you concentrate on the right aspect of the problem. But if you find you’re not concentrating, that you’re not making progress, then perhaps you need to relax and let go of the wrong direction you’re headed. Sometimes it might require either looking at the problem in a more relaxed state or just getting away from it and approaching it later.

Jung-Beeman believes that brainstorming may be a perfect example of how the brain works out insight problems.

Brainstorming in a group might be a very good way. In a way it might even mimic what’s going on in different brain areas in that you’re tossing around a lot of ideas. You’re generating a lot of information that is only distantly related. Initially it seems only distantly related to the problem, but it turns out it’s very useful in solving the problem.

— Paul Tenorio