In leadership, problem-solving is an essential skill. Actually, problem-solving is an essential skill for everyone. New research points to developing a positive attitude to help you develop critical insight to solve problems.
According to a New York Times article by Benedict Carey, Northwestern University neuroscientist Mark Beeman and graduate student Karuna Subramaniam conducted a study which “found that people were more likely to solve word puzzles with sudden insight when they were amused, having just seen a short comedy routine.”
The two researchers showed college students a Robin Williams video and then asked them to solve puzzles. According to the researchers, the humor creates a positive mood that allows the brain to connect the dots more easily. “The students solved more of the puzzles over all, and significantly more by sudden insight, compared with when they’d seen a scary or boring video beforehand,” Carey writes.
“You’re not only thinking more broadly, you’re literally seeing more,” said Adam Anderson, a psychologist at the University of Toronto, commenting about the study’s results.
You can test your insight here.
The take away here is that keeping a positive mood, even through humor, would help you when facing the small and large challenges.
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