Distractions at work could help problem-solving

Distractions at work could help problem-solving: "A moment spent working on something else or taking a break altogether allows the brain's unconscious thought process to take over, American psychologists believe. When the brain kicks back into gear, the conscious thought process will pick up on the solution, they found.

The discovery was made by a team of scientists who asked 130 volunteers to conduct a word association experiment.

Half the group were told to break off from their test to concentrate on something entirely different for five minutes.

The results showed that those who spent time focusing on a different task were much quicker at solving the first task when they returned to it than the group that had stuck with it."