When you spend a lot of time at home, whether by choice or due bad weather, or a global health crisis, jigsaw puzzles are a great way to fill time.
Puzzles are also good for the brain. The greatest advantage is of course it can be a solitary activity or a collaborative activity with someone else.
Here are some compelling reasons for investing in some jigsaw puzzles
Exercise Both Sides of the Brain
The two hemispheres of the brain control different functions. The left side of your brain controls analytic and logical thinking and the right-side controls creativity. When you are working on puzzles, you are engaging both sides and giving your brain a real mental workout.
Improve Memory
Working on puzzles reinforce the connections between our brain cells – and form new ones – so they are a great way to improve short-term memory. We use memory in the process of completing a jigsaw puzzle when we remember shapes, sizes, and pieces and visualize where they fit in.
Improved Reasoning
Since puzzles require us to take different approaches to solve them, we learn how to work by trial and error, formulate and test theories, and how to change tracks if not successful. You need to be able to look at individual parts of a jigsaw puzzle and figure out how to fit the pieces into their space. This helps improve your visual and spatial reasoning
Enhance Mood
One of the brain benefits of puzzles is that they increase the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, memory, and concentration. Dopamine is released with every success as we solve the puzzle. No wonder puzzles are so much fun!
Lower Stress
Puzzles invigorate our brains, but they are also very relaxing. While we are concentrating on how to solve the puzzle, our minds are only on one task and that encourages our brains to go into a meditative state. This leads to a better mindset and better stress coping skills.