Eureka, It’s the Bulb in My Head

Those exposed to the light bulb responded quicker to words linked to insight than other words.

The concept that reaching an insight is much like shining a light into a dark place goes back to at least Plato. It was this philosophical analogy that led scientists at Tufts University, US, to wonder if light bulbs might actually spur insights. The conclusion: yes.

Seventy three college students watched as words were flashed across a computer screen. They viewed 10 words associated with insight—such as create, conceive and envision—10 other words and 20 non-words. They were then asked to respond as quickly and accurately if what they were shown was a word or non-word. The students had either a bare, unshaded incandescent 25-Watt light bulb or an overhead fluorescent light turned on in the room. Volunteers exposed to the light bulb responded quicker to words linked to insight than other words. 

To see if light bulbs could actually promote insights, the researchers next gave college students spatial, math and verbal problems to solve and had either a bare light bulb or a fluorescent light turned on in the room partway into the problem. The volunteers either solved the problems faster or more often with the light bulb. In case the quality of the fluorescent light was influencing these results, the scientists also repeated the experiment with a bare, unshaded bulb and a shaded bulb. Volunteers performed better with the bare bulb than they did with the shaded bulb. The research suggests our brains respond favourably to bare light bulbs because they are familiar symbols of insight.