Can a joke improve your cognitive abilities? According to a New York Times article, maintaining a positive mood makes it easier to find solutions to problems, including solving puzzles, noticing details, and seeing the big picture. It is believed that this is due to the dopamine flowing in the prefrontal cortex, enabling us to notice novelty and encode learning. You can get a little dopamine spike by laughing at a joke, or viewing something beautiful or cute…like a puppy. When it’s necessary to tax your brain today what funny story can you think of first to make the job easier? What cute picture can you keep in your wallet to go back to as your reset button?
