Any mother will say with confidence that puzzles are useful for the development of the brain and fine motor skills of the baby. But do the puzzles somehow affect the adults themselves? Is it possible to “pump” the brain with the help of such simulators, or are puzzles nothing more than a pleasant pastime?
To answer all these questions, we will turn to real scientific research.
What and how do puzzles develop?
Any puzzles stimulate brain activity. The speed of the thought process directly depends on how many neural connections are involved at the moment. With regular load on the brain, emotional stability also increases.
According to psychologists, mosaics, puzzles and other simple puzzles in childhood develop attention, logic, imaginative thinking and fine motor skills. The child learns to connect parts and the whole, remembers ornaments, colors and shades. But for adults, there are also undeniable advantages in collecting puzzles.
Memory Enhancement
When assembling a puzzle, it is necessary to constantly reproduce the final result in memory — the finished picture. And imagine which element can stand in this or that place. This strengthens the existing connections between brain cells and increases the generation of new ones. As a result, the speed of thinking increases and short-term memory develops.
In the 80s of the last century, people with Alzheimer’s disease were strongly recommended to collect pictures from puzzles. Doctors suggested that this could help stop the decline of brain activity.
Developing Ingenuity
Regular puzzle collection teaches you to predict and test possible options for action, to develop your own strategy through a systematic approach, trial and error. This is how alternative thinking develops and the general skill of solving problems is formed. In addition, puzzles significantly improve spatial and visual thinking.
Supporting the entire thought process
While the left hemisphere of the brain is responsible for analytics and logical thinking, the right hemisphere is responsible for all creative and artistic abilities. When it comes to puzzles, the left hemisphere sees the end result as a whole, while the right hemisphere looks for the path that each small piece will take to become the big picture. Therefore, it is conventionally believed that it is easier to assemble a mosaic for people with a developed right hemisphere, because they are more inclined to put together a whole from disparate parts. However, regular training develops both hemispheres. When assembling a picture, all brain functions work in unison, which significantly increases its performance.
Production of dopamine
When solving any puzzle, the hormone dopamine is produced. Sometimes it is mistakenly called the hormone of pleasure and happiness, but this is not entirely true. Dopamine is responsible for motivational and evaluative processes in the human brain and is the initiator of the reward system. Simply put, dopamine gives the effect of satisfaction from performing a particular task, and the feeling of pleasure is only a possible consequence of its production.
Since collecting puzzles not only has a positive effect on memory and concentration, but also gives a sense of satisfaction and the joy of victory, we can draw a conditional parallel: the more puzzles a person solves, the higher his dopamine level and the easier it is for him to solve such puzzles later. That is why you want to assemble even the largest and most difficult puzzle with many pieces to the end. And then take on the next one!
Historical reference. The first puzzle appeared at the end of the XVIII century in London. Cartographer John Spilsbury made a kind of textbook for geography students: he transferred the drawn map of the world to a blackboard and sawed it along the borders of states. The students needed to connect the countries correctly, again making one large map.
Stress Relief
Puzzles not only activate brain activity, but also help you relax. This works, like any other meditation, by distraction: while a person is focused on putting together the puzzle, he does not think about his problems. Solving puzzles after a hard day can relieve anxiety and help you find a positive attitude.
Disputes about the practical benefits of puzzles
A logical question: if collecting many details into one picture has such a positive effect on the brain, then is it possible to increase your IQ or prevent senile dementia?
In the late 90s of the XX century, scientist Patrick Vissler from the University of Ulm in Germany tested a hundred adults. The subjects had to assemble the mosaic daily for at least an hour for 5 weeks. Each of them passed tests to assess abilities before and after the experiment.
As a result of the study, Fissler found that such puzzles stimulate many visuospatial functions: working memory, flexibility and speed of thinking, and the ability to perceive. The scientist concluded that daily jigsaw puzzles significantly improve individual brain functions, and the more complex the puzzle, the better.
Modern research suggests that there is a so-called “long-range transfer effect”, when you practice one skill, and at the same time develop a completely different one. So, scientists managed to find out that regular training in the future can significantly increase the speed of solving puzzles. In other words, if you often solve puzzles, you will do it faster and faster each time. But how does this skill affect IQ levels?
The antagonist of theories about the benefits of puzzles is psychotherapist Dan Simons from the University of Illinois. His paper, published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest, argues that no scientific work supporting the positive effects of puzzles on the brain meets generally accepted standards for a full-fledged study. Most of the conclusions made are premature due to the insufficient size of the control group of subjects, their incorrect sampling and selective approach to the results. According to Simons, each researcher is more wishful thinking.
Meanwhile, according to a survey conducted in 2014 in the United States, many Americans are confident that solving puzzles, crosswords, participating in quizzes and other training for the brain can improve its performance. As the population ages and becomes increasingly concerned about cognitive decline, not only are classic puzzles such as puzzles growing in popularity, but virtual brain training apps are also emerging. Some developers seriously declare that such programs can prevent senile memory impairment, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
What is guaranteed to be good about puzzles
It is too early to say which of the scientists is right. For sure, research will continue to be carried out. And it is not so important to us. In any case, collecting puzzles and solving puzzles is probably much more useful than, for example, mindlessly scrolling through the same type of feed on social networks. In addition, it is impossible not to agree that puzzles are a great form of leisure.
Interesting fact: the largest puzzle in the world was released by Kodak in 2020. It consisted of 51,300 elements, and when assembled it reached 8.7 m by 1.9 m.
Undeniable advantages of puzzles:
- You can collect them not only alone, but also in a company. This is a simple and effective way to captivate the whole family with a common interesting activity.
- Puzzles relax, distract from pressing problems, and give the brain the opportunity to reboot.
- Puzzles are the happiness of a perfectionist. The combination of many disparate fragments into a single whole, the perfection of the assembled picture gives a feeling of special pleasure.
- Puzzles are suitable for repeated use: the same picture can be assembled several times, training speed. They take up little space and do not require additional devices. All you need is a flat surface.
- This is always a great gift idea. Activities such as puzzles, mosaics, and board games will delight people of all ages. A child can be presented with children’s soft puzzles or puzzles depicting their favorite cartoon characters, and adults can be surprised by the size of the puzzle and its theme.
Do you like to collect puzzles? What do you do with them then?
Abd Faek Ghananeem is a creative storyteller with a passion for crafting engaging narratives that captivate readers of all ages. With a knack for weaving tales that resonate on a personal level, Abd’s work reflects a deep understanding of the human experience. As an author, Abd brings a unique voice to the literary world, offering stories that are not only entertaining but also thought-provoking. Whether writing for children or adults, Ghananeem’s work is marked by a blend of imagination, insight, and a genuine love for storytelling.
