The Dopamine Detective: Why Solving a Mystery Is the Ultimate Brain Reward

When you read a well-written thriller or mystery novel, do you get this feel-good emotion that encompasses your whole being and lights up your world?  Have you ever spent 10 minutes on a call trying to determine why a billing receipt is off by exactly 1500 naira? Only to realise the error was hidden in […]

When you read a well-written thriller or mystery novel, do you get this feel-good emotion that encompasses your whole being and lights up your world? 

Have you ever spent 10 minutes on a call trying to determine why a billing receipt is off by exactly 1500 naira? Only to realise the error was hidden in a tiny footnote on the receipt: a service charge fee? 

That sudden ‘aha!’ moment when the clouds part and the math finally makes sense is exactly the rush we get when a thriller/mystery author reveals that the butler didn’t do it, but the golden retriever did. Okay, of course, it is not the dog, but you get the point! 

The Plot Twist Formula

As someone who spends their days balancing accounts and some nights buried in whodunits, I’ve realised our brains are cheerful little detectives with a serious dopamine habit. We don’t just like plot twists; we are biologically wired to hunt for them from the way our neurons fire when we spot a discrepancy. 

Think of your brain as an energetic customer service representative working in a busy Billing department. Every time you read a chapter of a thriller, your brain invokes clues:

Entry 1: The neighbour has a suspicious scratch on his arm.
Entry 2: The victim was allergic to peanuts.
Entry 3: The protagonist found a stray receipt for a Snickers bar.

In Billing, if the numbers don’t add up at the end of the day, you go looking for the error. In a mystery story, your brain is doing the same thing, constantly trying to reconcile the account before the book ends. This is called predictive processing.

When a twist happens, it’s like finding a massive accounting error that suddenly explains everything. That rush of relief you feel? That’s your brain’s way of saying, the account is balanced!

The Science: Why the “Pop” Feels So Good

When that “aha!” moment hits, a specific part of your brain – the superior temporal gyrus (STG) lights up. This is the spot where everything connects. It takes all those random billing entries, the clues, and snaps them together into one clear picture.

To make it even better, God designed our brains with a built-in reward system. The moment the mystery is solved, your brain floods your system with dopamine. 

It’s the same feel-good chemical you get when you finally resolve a difficult customer’s complaint or find the missing kobo in a complex spreadsheet. We are literally addicted to the feeling of truth emerging from confusion!

As anyone in customer service knows, a sudden policy change can trigger serious emotional escalations. When a thriller/mystery author pulls the rug out from under you, it’s easy to feel like a frustrated customer wanting to speak to the manager!

Handling Your Internal “Complaints” When a Twist Hits

In Billing, if a charge appears without warning, that’s a bad experience. In a book, if the killer is a twin brother who was never mentioned until the last page, that’s a bad twist.

CSR Tip: Take a deep breath. If the author cooked the books and didn’t leave clues, you have every right to file a complaint: leave a 2-star review. A good twist should feel like a resolved ticket; it was complex, but it should make sense.

When your favourite character, the one you’ve been on the phone with for 300 pages, turns out to be the villain, it’s a total betrayal!

CSR Tip: Practice de-escalation. Remember that the “aha!” moment is just your brain’s way of updating its files. Instead of throwing the book across the room, admire the author’s handling of the situation. They successfully navigated your expectations, so that’s top-tier service!

Once the twist is out in the open, it’s time to close the file. This is where you review the transaction history from earlier chapters.

CSR Tip: Look for hidden line items you may have missed. Finding the clue you overlooked is the most satisfying part of the job. It turns a billing error into a perfectly balanced account.

Wrapping Up

Ultimately, whether we are resolving a complex billing issue for a client or figuring out who left the mysterious note in a thriller, we are seeking the same thing: The Truth.

As a child of God, I find so much joy in the fact that our brains were designed to love clarity and order. Life and customer service can be messy, but there is a deep satisfaction in seeing a puzzle finally solved. 

So, the next time you hit a massive plot twist, don’t get frustrated. Just smile, appreciate the craftsmanship, and tell yourself: Case closed!

So, what’s the best book twist you never saw coming?