Have you ever had an “aha moment”? You know, one of those moments when something just “clicks” with you. Perhaps you were working a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table or maybe you were adding up the Sudoku numbers when you were commuting. Researchers have started taking a closer look at these satisfying little breakthroughs. They hope to figure out how the brain actually works to solve problems. The fact is, problem-solving goes back to the caveman days, according to the science editor at The New York Times, David Corcoran. In those days, they were inventing the wheel and fire, he points out.
Now, however, we’re concerned with finding the answer to riddles and puzzles on the internet. The interesting thing is that the people who like solving puzzles have different types of minds than the people who construct and create the puzzles. Both types of people are intelligent but in different ways. It helps if you have the ability to recognize patterns, according to NPR’s Puzzlemaster and the crossword editor for The New York Times, Will Shortz. Interestingly, people who are good at solving puzzles are also able to more easily learn math and music. They all seem to go hand in hand. Look at the riddle below. Can you answer this question?
Head over to the next page for the answer.