If you enjoyed today's Flashcard Friday deep dive, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with a fellow puzzle lover. And don't forget, this last Tuesday was the big Holiday Time-Travel Puzzle Episode, so keep grab your notebook and check it out for prizes and a gift card! You can listen to it here: https://mathsciencehistory.libsyn.com/its-the-math-science-history-holiday-puzzle-2025 

Episode Overview

Solving puzzles feels good, but why? In this Flashcard Friday episode, Gabrielle explores the neuroscience behind puzzles, how your brain lights up during problem-solving, and how you can train yourself to love puzzles even more. From dopamine pathways to the power of short, consistent practice, this episode uncovers the brain's secret recipe for curiosity, insight, and reward.

Three Things You'll Learn: "Mind Games, Literally"

1. What Parts of Your Brain Activate When You Solve Puzzles - Learn how the prefrontal cortex, parietal lobes, hippocampus, default mode network, and reward circuitry work together every time you crack a clue.
2. Why Puzzle Solving Triggers a Dopamine Boost - Discover how dopamine fuels motivation, anticipation, and the satisfaction of every "Aha!" moment.
3. How to Train Your Brain to Love Puzzles - Explore evidence-based strategies to build puzzle habits, increase cognitive resilience, and reinforce your natural problem-solving instincts.

Resources

• Aarts, Esther, et al. "Dopamine and the Cognitive Motivation to Exert Mental Effort." Journal of Neuroscience, 2012.
• Beeman, Mark, and John Kounios. "The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight." Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2004.
• Dehaene, Stanislas, et al. "Sources of Mathematical Thinking." Science, 1999.
• Yin, Henry H., and Bernard Balleine. "Habit Formation and the Basal Ganglia." Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2006.

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