Study: Interruptions help problem-solving

Evanston, Ill -- Interruptions from such things as cellular phones and e-mails could make people better at solving problems, U.S. researchers say.

The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday that tests on 130 volunteers showed that being distracted while trying to solve a problem was beneficial in helping you solve the problem at a later time.

The research by a team of psychologists at Northwestern University in Illinois was published in the journal Psychological Science, the newspaper reported.

Their research found also that creative problem-solving needs a two-stage process of unconscious thought. They said the process works better if there is a break between the two stages.

Professor Adam Galinsky, who led the study, said their findings explain the phenomenon that if you give up on a problem, it somehow sorts itself out in your mind later.

A previous study by Dutch scientists found that the unconscious mind is often better at solving problems if we relax our conscious thoughts by taking a bath, going for a walk, or meditating.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.