In the seconds before the insight appears, a brain area called the superior anterior temporal gyrus (aSTG) exhibits a sharp spike in activity.

WSJ: Jonah Lehrer on How to Be Creative

Interestingly, Mr. Beeman and his colleagues have found that certain factors make people much more likely to have an insight, better able to detect the answers generated by the aSTG.

WSJ: Jonah Lehrer on How to Be Creative