Daily life presents us with a huge variety of problems, many of which seem to have no ready or easy solutions. From deciding which apartment to rent to figuring out
how to tackle an assignment at school or work, or even handling relationships, day in and day out we have to find ways of solving our problems. Techniques like brainstorming, mind mapping, or listing the pros and cons of different options take an analytical approach and involve “left-brain" thinking. While these techniques can be successful and lead to solutions, good problem solvers tend to switch between this analytical (left-brain) thinking and a more creative and emotional (right-brain) approach.
However, recent research into the brain‘s behavior while problem solving suggests that traditional techniques for solving problems -concentrating on a task and focusing on finding a solution may not be the most effective after all. What might be more significant is simply inspiration that sudden “aha” moment when
the solut...