Are puzzles good for you?, I mean puzzles are just a bit of fun, right? Yes, puzzles are fun but they have many benefits beyond, some of which you may find quite surprising.
Puzzles Are Good For The Brain
Puzzles are very good for the brain and have lots of cognitive benefits.
Brain Workout
Loosely speaking the main section of the brain is split into two parts, the left (functions include logic and analysis) and the right (functions include creativity and intuition). Trying to solve puzzles involves both sides of your brain working together, giving your brain a workout and helping to promote the growth of new nerve cells.
Improves short-term memory
Puzzles often involve you having to scan and memorise numbers, colours, facts, etc. Jigsaw puzzles and Sudoku are good examples of this. This again reinforces connections between brain cells and sharpens our minds and memory.
Stress Relief and Mental Health
When we get fully immersed into completing a puzzle we begin to forget what else is going on in our lives, our focus is on our goal of completing the puzzle. Hours can go by without us even realising and we feel much calmer. When we make progress or complete the puzzle we feel great, we have accomplished our goal. Our brains are also busy releasing dopamine, a lack of dopamine has been linked to various mental health problems and obesity.
Socialising
Sometimes conversation can be awkward if you do not know someone well or perhaps you have just ran out of things to say. Completing a puzzle with someone encourages conversation and interaction whilst working as a team.
Problem Solving Skills
In order to solve a puzzle we have to gather a multitude of information and process many different possibilities. We mentally analyse a great deal of information without realising it and put it all together to find the solution. Improving our problem solving skills through puzzles will help us to carry out the same process in everyday life and solve problems more easily.
IQ
Studies from the University of Michigan concluded that just 25 minutes a day solving puzzles can increase your IQ by 4 points.
Attention Span and Concentration
Once you start a puzzle it is hard to stop before you complete it, even if it takes you hours. Doing puzzles regularly will improve your ability to naturally concentrate on a task in hand and work through it more thoroughly.
Independence and resilience
Puzzles are a fantastic solo task when you are alone, as time just flies by. There is a great sense of achievement when you reach your goal. This sense of achievement helps encourage the mindset to keep going and accomplish other goals you have.
If you have children then puzzles are a great and beneficial way to keep them occupied and increase their sense of independence, with the added benefit that you get a little time to yourself and a chance to partake in your own puzzles!
Eye for detail
Puzzles are meant to be tricky and complicated and the key to solving them is often the attention to detail. We learn to take everything in and analyse our findings. A great skill to use in many other parts of our lives.
Conclusion
Yes, puzzles are good for us, they are good for our brain, concentration, productivity, stress management and can enhance numerous important skills, and unlike a lot of things that are good for us, they are FUN!
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Hi there,
There’s such valuable information here that I didn’t even consider a benefit of puzzle activities. I certainly need to get into puzzles more and my head out of the laptop. I also agree that it’s a great way to get rid of the awkward silence and break the ice.
Sharon
Fantastic i’m really pleased to hear that our article has inspired you to try puzzles out, you won’t be disappointed!
Puzzles are indeed excellent exercise for the brain. I have not done a puzzle in a long time, but I enjoy solving them. It is always a great accomplishment to finish a puzzle, especially if it was difficult. I also remember how much fun it always was doing this with several people. It reinforces the team building and loosens up the atmosphere.
I certainly believe that solving puzzles increases your IQ, it makes a lot of sense to me. I think it is time to start doing some puzzles again 🙂
Yes puzzles have a number of benefits and some are quite surprising. Enjoy your puzzling!
Thank you for this
You are absolutely right that you can use puzzles to increase brain power.
This is what helped me in High school to stay on top of my subjects.
it also helped me to pass time during break time before having time to study. I still do this even now.
Great to hear how puzzles helped you at high school and using break times for puzzles is an excellent idea!
When I’m a kid, I do play puzzles at friend’s house. Didn’t know that there are so many benefits in it! This is interesting to learn that playing puzzles can help to release stress. Nowadays alot of people are having stress. Think it’s a good idea to promote and encourage more people to play puzzles. It’s not just a kid’s game!
Yes a lot of people are surprised that puzzles have so many benefits as well as being a lot of fun for all ages!