Puzzles make a great family fun time or solo pastime. Jigsaws are having a resurgence as more millennial parents ditch the screens to solve 1000-piece tough puzzles with their families. The popularity of the puzzles today transcends centuries and civilizations, trying to power up the brain. Puzzles jugs and magical squares date back to around 700 BCE.
Actually, jigsaw puzzles were invented in the 1760's and were used to teach Geography. Puzzles offer an array of benefits, both mentally and physically. Here are eight ways solving tough puzzles can improve your life.
1. Great Mental Workout
A big jigsaw puzzle will keep your mind mentally active and healthy. Puzzle-solving engages both sides of the brain, the left hemisphere for logical analysis and the right for creativity. Creating the mental picture as you solve the puzzles also exercises your cognitive muscles.
2. Improved Concentration Span
Placing the pieces together demands great attention to detail. Concentration is a vital skill that is essential for everyday life. Solving the tough puzzle may immerse you in a long trance as you try to focus on the colors and shapes. Jigsaws allow you to transfer this skill by capturing smaller details, thus improving the quality of your work.
3. Impart Problem Solving Skills
Puzzles help your brain recognize that a problem exists and needs to be solved. Your family may try different approaches to crack the 2000 piece jigsaw puzzles. The testing and adjusting of the solutions improve critical thinking and logical reasoning skills vital in solving everyday problems.
4. Improve Memory
Finding solutions to hard puzzles create a connection between brain cells that help improve mental recall. Additionally, the brain workout also generates new neural links that significantly enhance short-term memory. You exercise your mind by remembering the different shapes, sizes, and pieces of the wooden board game.
5. Increase Your IQ
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that solving puzzles for at least 25 minutes every day may improve your IQ score by four points. Remember, taking a crack at the tough puzzle improves your general knowledge, cognitive skills, and memory, thus enhancing your IQ levels.
6. Improve Visual-Spatial Skills
Placing the individual pieces together in a perfect fit requires excellent eye-hand coordination. You need to identify and recognize patterns quickly and how the pieces fall in place. Recent studies show that improved spatial recognition in adults may help slow down the development of dementia in old age.
7. Improved Cooperation
Solving a 2000 piece puzzle provides an excellent opportunity for family bonding. Everyone participates towards achieving a common goal, cracking the jigsaw puzzle. The cooperative effort may help build social skills among your children with a night of family fun.
8. Relieves Stress
Medical professions advocate for ‘holistic’ living that encompasses a healthy mental state. Completing a puzzle leads to the release of dopamine, a ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter. As the final board piece falls into place, your brain releases a surge of dopamine that improves your mood and reduces your stress levels.
In Conclusion
Puzzles have been around for a long time as humans try to improve their mental capabilities. Tough puzzles will create exciting, fun-filled exercises for you and your family. Get your big jigsaw puzzle today and reap the benefits of solving the challenges.