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Here is Why Jigsaw Puzzles are Good For Your Brain?

Jigsaw puzzles are not just about fun, they are also beneficial for our brain, especially if you put them together well. In modern times, John Spilsbury invented jigsaw puzzles in 1767. Like jigsaw puzzles, there are other varieties of puzzles like crossword puzzles, Rubik’s cube, and many more. However, in this article, we will talk about the benefits of jigsaw Puzzles for the brain. So, read below to know why are jigsaw puzzles good for your brain.

Here is Why Jigsaw Puzzles are Good For Your Brain?

Doing Jigsaw Puzzles Is A Good Mental Exercise:

One of the most important things that you should know why are jigsaw puzzles good for your brain is that they are good mental exercises and doing these puzzles can be really considered as a complete brain exercise as they exercise both, the left and the right sides of the brain. The left side of the brain is the logical, methodical, and objective side; while the right side of the brain is in charge of emotion, creativity, and intuitive thinking.

Here is Why Jigsaw Puzzles are Good For Your Brain?

When you do jigsaw puzzles, both the sides of your brain should communicate and work together and thus it increases cognitive function. Mental exercises help in preventing cognitive decline.

They Improve Visual-Spatial Reasoning:

Jigsaw puzzles are also good for your brain as they improve visual-spatial reasoning. We see different pieces of the puzzle and place them within a larger image to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. This particular exercise helps in improving your spatial reasoning.

A study has evaluated the positive effects of solving jigsaw puzzles on your visuospatial cognition, psychological outcomes, and daily functioning of the brain.(1)

Jigsaw Puzzle Helps In Improving Memory:

If you want to improve your memory, you should solve jigsaw puzzles. Yes, it strengthens the neural connections and also increases the generation of new connections. It increases mental speed and your thought processes.

Working on jigsaw puzzles reinforce the connections between your brain cells and form new ones, and thus they are an excellent way of improving short-term memory.(2)

When we take a piece of the puzzle, you have to search among the other pieces for a shape or color that you have in the mind and visualize the image on a large scale for seeing which pieces go well together. While you exercise the part of your brain that is in charge of storing this information, it helps in maintaining and improving short-term memory.

They Increase Your IQ:

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan has found that spending 25 minutes in a day solving puzzles and riddles can increase your IQ by 4 points.(3) It is obvious to know that solving puzzles improve our concentration, memory, reasoning skills, and vocabulary. Thus, they help in increasing our IQ.

Jigsaw Puzzle Helps In Improving Greater Attention:

It is no rocket science to understand that a jigsaw puzzle helps in improving greater attention. While solving the puzzle, especially if the puzzle pieces are very similar, you need to pay attention to every detail.

You have to train your eyes for finding the small differences in shapes or colors of each puzzle piece that will aid you in completing the large image of the jigsaw puzzle. This ability to capture every small detail can help you in all aspects of your lives, particularly at work. When you are more detailed and precise, there is an improvement in your work quality.

You Improve Your Problem Solving Ability By Doing Jigsaw Puzzles:

Why are jigsaw puzzles good for your brain? We have mentioned many things regarding this. However, one more important thing that must not be ignored is that by solving jigsaw puzzles, you improve your ability of problem solving.

For solving the puzzles you take several approaches to try for solving a problem, as this is a trial and error test. The value of formulating theories, testing hypothesis, as well as changing your perspectives while something does not go well as per your plans, can be learned from solving jigsaw puzzles. These skills can help you become more innovative in problem-solving, and critical thinking.

They Help In An Increased Productivity:

When there is an improvement in your concentration, your productivity increases. So, if you have difficulty staying focus on your work or studies, take a short break and solve a jigsaw puzzle to reset your brain.

Jigsaw Puzzles Improve Your Mood:

Jigsaw puzzles are good for the brain as they help in improving your mood. Solving a puzzle increases the production of dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is responsible to regulate your mood and optimism. This neurotransmitter also affects memory, learning, motivation, and concentration. Every time you do a puzzle and every time you put a single piece of the puzzle in the right place, dopamine gets released. This encourages you to continue your work and challenge yourself.

Jigsaw Puzzle Reduces Your Stress Level:

Apart from improving our concentration, memory, mood, productivity, and problem-solving ability, jigsaw puzzles are also great at reducing stress levels. These puzzles help in making us feel relaxed.

When you are assembling jigsaw puzzles, your brains go from “Beta” or awake to a state of “Alpha”. The Alpha state is very similar to the state when we are dreaming. This shift of the mind’s consciousness has so many benefits, including your ability to make deeper connections, increasing self-confidence, relieving stress, and improving mood. This is also helpful in lowering your heart rate and blood pressure.

Jigsaw Puzzles Help In Improving Better Collaboration And Teamwork:

One more thing why are the jigsaw puzzles good for your brain is that they help in building collaboration between co-workers at your workplace. Researchers from Yale University have found that when workers can puzzle together in their office, it helped them to improve their relationships and also their ability to cooperate and do teamwork.

Jigsaw Puzzles Are Good For Children:

It has been found that playing with puzzles, blocks, and shape games help in developing spatial skills. Such plays have a fundamental role in developing spatial awareness in kids and later they come into play when topics of mathematics, science, and technology are addressed.

Growing children get lots of benefits like cognitive benefits, emotional benefits, and also physical benefits by solving jigsaw puzzles.

Conclusion:

So, we talked about some points on how and why jigsaw puzzles are good for the brain. We hope this would be enough for you to incorporate these puzzles in your workplace, and also at home to improve your mood, concentration, memory, problem-solving ability, and reducing stress levels. Not only this, jigsaw puzzles are also known to help you live longer.

Studies have shown that people who solve jigsaw and crossword puzzles have longer life spans and have fewer chances of developing memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Puzzling stimulates our brain and wards off the plaque that is the marker of Alzheimer’s disease. So, we are now aware that jigsaw puzzles are good for our brains.

Play puzzles if you want your mind, body, and spirit to live broader and longer!

References:

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:June 12, 2021

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