"In the brain, sudden insight is accompanied by increased activity in the brain’s anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) prior to solving each prob­lem. The region is involved in regulating attention; in problem solving, it seems to work in con­junction with other brain areas either to stay focused on a par­ticular strategy or to switch to a new one. Subramaniam found with functional MRI that people in a positive mood had more ACC activity going in to the task, which probably helped prepare the brain to find novel solutions. Participants who watched anx­iety-producing movies such as The Shining, however, showed less activity in the ACC and less creativity in solving the puzzles." - Lit