"To be sure, we've all had our 'Aha' moments. They materialize without warning, often through an unconscious shift in mental perspective that can abruptly alter how we perceive a problem. "An 'aha' moment is any sudden comprehension that allows you to see something in a different light," says psychologist John Kounios at Drexel University in Philadelphia. 'It could be the solution to a problem; it could be getting a joke; or suddenly recognizing a face. It could be realizing that a friend of yours is not really a friend.'

These sudden insights, they found, are the culmination of an intense and complex series of brain states that require more neural resources than methodical reasoning. People who solve problems through insight generate different patterns of brain waves than those who solve problems analytically. 'Your brain is really working quite hard before this moment of insight,' says psychologist Mark Wheeler at the University of Pittsburgh. 'There is a lot going on behind the scenes.'"

Read this and let your thoughts wander.