Magazines have long used focus groups to tailor their package. New Scientist took another route for its latest issue, testing whether neuromarketing, which examines the brain’s response to products and brands, could help make the magazine more appealing.

The subjects’ reactions were then analyzed by NeuroFocus, a company with headquarters in Berkeley, Calif., which then rated the results on a scale of 1 to 10, based on factors like memory activation and emotional engagement.

“The human brain loves to solve simple puzzles,” he said. “Anytime something is concealed and revealed, the brain rushes toward it.”