Brain games give a 'natural high'

- Fri, 14 Sep 2007

If you get a buzz out of mastering a problem, there's a surprising new explanation. Scientists at the University of Southern California have discovered that the 'aha!' moment when you comprehend a task  triggers a cascade of natural opiate-like substances, giving you a pleasure-fix.

"While you're trying to understand a difficult theorem it's no fun. But once you get it you just feel fabulous. I think we're exquisitely attuned to this as if we're junkies, second by second," said the study's author, Professor Irving Biederman.

How does it work? Within the brain there are opoid receptors, responsible for feelings of pleasure. Professor Biederman noticed that these are in greatest supply in the areas of the brain associated with comprehension and interpretation of images. When participants were confronted with an image for the first time, many neurons were activated in these pleasure centres. But repeated viewing created a declining level of activity.

He's called this "neural Darwinism", arguing that our quest for a brain buzz, right throughout civilization, has driven us to learn andabsorb ever more fresh knowledge.

Of course as we age we're less inclined to confront as many new and challenging tasks as we did in our youth. But that's where Headstrong's brain training games can regularly stimulate these pleasure centres, while at the same time keeping the brain pathways responsible for memory and concentration in peak condition. Recent studies have proven that such regular mental activity protects against degenerative illnesses like dementia. Now there's scientific proof that regular brain games can trigger happiness as well.