Patching things up after a row is far from a no brainer – try sudoku or a crossword

CROSSWORDS and sudoku puzzles are being recommended to help couples after an argument.

Scientists yesterday said stimulating mental activity can halt people harbouring a grudge against a loved one.

The researchers said people who can boost activity in a part of the brain associated with decision making and problem solving will forget differences with a partner after a fight quicker.

The psychologists, from Harvard University in the US, discovered that emotions are controlled better among people who have more activity in the part of the brain known as the lateral prefrontal cortex.

This part of the brain is associated with mental functions such as problem and puzzle solving, determining good from bad, being focused and making tough decisions.

The study said it was commonly felt that partners who wanted to maintain a successful relationship should not go to bed angry after a row.

However, the research suggests that brain activity in a particular part of the brain is a far better indicator of how someone will feel in the days following a fight with his or her partner.

The findings point to the lateral prefrontal cortex's role in emotion regulation, and suggest that improved function within this region may also improve day-to-day mood, according to the study in the science journal Biological Psychiatry.

Christine Hooker, assistant professor of psychology at Harvard's faculty of arts and sciences, said: "What we found, as you might expect, was that everybody felt bad on the day of a conflict with their partner.

"But the day after, people who had high lateral prefrontal cortex activity felt better and the people who had low lateral prefrontal cortex activity continued to feel badly."

Research has previously shown that the lateral prefrontal cortex is associated with emotion regulation, but this is the first time it has been linked to everyday experiences.

The Harvard study involved healthy couples in a relationship for longer than three months.

A brain scanner recorded the mental reactions among the volunteers.