Solving a puzzle ‘better’ than sex

EVEN the biggest crossword fanatic would find it hard to argue solving puzzles is better than sex.

But scientists have said just that after finding out the “aha!” moment when we work out an answer has the same effect on our brains.

A flood of dopamine is released at that point, the “reward” chemical that makes sex, eating or winning money enjoyable.

A team at Goldsmiths, University of London, used brain scans to study what happens when we solve a clue. This feeling is defined as “the moment of transition from being completely dark about the solution to suddenly ‘seeing it’”.

Study co-author Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya said: “Dopamine is the brain reward you might get from having sex or winning the lottery.

“We also saw it being released in the brain during someone’s ‘ aha!’ moment where they solved a puzzle, which brings a feeling of relief, ease, joy and confidence.” He even argued: “If anything, solving a puzzle may be even better than sex or money, because it has further implications for memory and people are learning from the experience.”

The study scanned the brains of 29 volunteers as they solved 48 puzzles.

Bhattacharya added: “By using the state-of-the-art functional magnetic resonance imaging we were able to peer deep into the brain and study in detail which areas are active during creative problem-solving.” – Daily Mail