Playing is important for children as well as for adults. And puzzles are no exception! There are many studies showing the mental benefits of puzzles in children. In this article, we are going one step further to discuss the advantages of puzzles for adults.

So, without further ado, let’s begin!

 

1. Puzzles Promote Concentration and Relaxation

By working on a puzzle, we concentrate on what we are doing and we distance ourselves from reality. This is why many adults’ associate puzzles with a time when they can almost “forget everything”.

For some, puzzles help them relax, for others, not so much. We therefore consider puzzles as one of the many options, such as crosswords, coloring, knitting, Sudoku puzzles, etc., that you can experiment with to find your stress-buster hobby!

 

2. Stimulate Neurons

Solving puzzles can be a type of training for our brain. We make our cognitive mind work by stimulating different areas. Puzzles are one effective way to reduce the drop in our cognitive faculties.

Numerous studies show that mind games are good for both children’s and adult brains. Also, when we really focus on a single activity, we sometimes do another type of "cleaning" in our head. Suddenly we find, without really realizing it, new solutions to a problem.

 

3. Sharpen Your Sense of Observation

To succeed in solving a puzzle, you have to be able to observe the pieces and their particular shapes. With children, we encourage them to become little "detectives" when they go in search of a particular piece. Children understand that they need to collect clues to complete the puzzle. In adults, too, puzzles allow us to work on our perception: we must form a mental image.

 

4. A Great Way to Exercise Patience

Puzzles really test our patience while forcing us to be persistent as it’s virtually impossible to be quick and expeditious when solving them! The more pieces there are, the longer and more difficult it is to complete the puzzle. Puzzles help you to become more patient.

As a bonus, puzzles also teach us to not give up too quickly and easily. We also sometimes need to remind ourselves that everything is not instantaneous in life.

 

5. An Educational Tool for Learning

Puzzles are a great educational tool. They are remarkable learning tools that allow you to learn in a truly physiological way. On the one hand, there are puzzles that can help you with geography, while there are others which can help you learn new shapes or improve your math!

 

6. A Great Way to Observe, Analyze & Anticipate

Perceiving the shapes and colors of a built-in toy, analyzing the path of a piece in a labyrinth, placing a series of puzzles, etc. All these activities can help improve your observation skills to a whole new level. They also allow us to anticipate, to think by asking ourselves, “If I do such and such an action, what will happen?".

 

7. Develop Memory

When a child or an adult solves a puzzle where you have to perform various actions such as assembling, disassembling or unraveling, you develop a better memory in order to remember the actions to be performed. It is even an activity that is offered to the elderly who are prone to memory problems. Puzzles are indeed an excellent brain stimulant!

 

8. Promote concentration and dexterity

Concentration is yet another benefit developed by puzzles. To get to the end of this activity, one needs to focus their full attention on the task at hand. Regarding dexterity, this skill is in great demand, as some games require fine motor skills and coordination.

 

9. Improve Hand-Eye Coordination

If you’ve ever taken puzzle-solving seriously, you already know what we’re talking about. Puzzles require a keen sense of coordination between your mind and your body, and in that process, they end up improving it to a great extent.

 

10. Reinforce Self-Confidence

Seeing your puzzle taking its shape is very rewarding. The results are measurable and visible immediately. It is a source of pride to go after something and successfully accomplish it. When you feel yourself progressing, the brain secretes dopamine, the hormone of happiness. This happiness helps you become more self-confident in your life.

 

11. Develop Team Spirit

When the whole family unites to solve a puzzle, everyone supports each other. It is a source of collective joy that lets everyone feel useful as you succeed in the game together. A favorable outcome of this activity is the development of team spirit in each and every member of the family.

 

12. Make You Smarter

Neurological research has shown that puzzle solving significantly improves brain, visual and spatial skills, such as perception, flexibility, working memory, speed, etc. With age, neural connections tend to stiffen. Solving puzzles stimulates plasticity.