What Skills Do Jigsaw Puzzles Help You to Develop?

I have loved solving puzzles since I was a kid. We always talk about how solving puzzles can help develop various skills in kids like problem-solving skills, motor skills, perseverance, etc. But, did you know that adults also benefit a lot from solving puzzles?

This fun activity is also a brain exercise that helps you recharge and stay happy. Keeping your mind sharp is a priority all through our lives, so why do we stop partaking in activities that help us exercise our brains without it having to do anything with our careers?

I bought two 1000-piece puzzles for my birthday. I have been waiting to solve it, but meanwhile, I have been indulging in digital puzzles. There are so many free jigsaw puzzles online that you will not run out of them ever. Let’s talk about some of the benefits that solving jigsaw puzzles have and what skills they help finetune.

Benefits of Solving Puzzles:

Better Brain Health

We often focus on our physical health, allowing our mental health to take a back seat. Letting your brain get some exercise is as important as letting your body get some. Over the years, many studies have shown that doing jigsaw puzzles helps us keep our mind active – supporting new nerve cell growth is one of the benefits. 

Better Mood

Achieving anything can help increase our mood through the production of dopamine. Solving a puzzle is no different. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, helps better your mood. This feeling will keep you feeling happy and will also help you to take up more challenges.

Skills Developed by Solving Puzzles:

Improved Attention to Detail

Solving puzzles, especially ones with many pieces, require you to pay attention to the pieces. More the number of pieces, the more attention to detail is needed. This teaches you how important it is to look at little things to find pieces that fit together. Your brain is trained to look at the slight difference in the blue in the sky pieces of the puzzle. This ability to notice details carries on to other aspects of your life as well.

Improved Memory

Jigsaw puzzles help train our short-term memory. We look at pieces and try to remember that so that we can find the pieces that fit together. This helps us visualize the bigger picture while trying to remember what shapes and colors will help bring that picture come alive.

Better Collaboration

In our professional lives, collaboration is an important part of a smooth workflow. When solving puzzles with a lot of pieces, like 1000 pieces and such, it is usually done with friends and family. This fun activity teaches you how to work together and put in small pieces so that you can all create a big picture.

Increased Productivity

Solving puzzles helps improve concentration levels because you are trying to focus on finding the pieces that fit. This lets you develop better concentration skills. Because puzzles also help better your mood, your stress levels are low. The combination of increased concentration and decreased stress helps increase productivity.

Final Thoughts

Puzzle-solving isn’t just a fun activity. Jigsaw puzzles train our minds to concentrate, focus, and see the bigger picture. The activity helps us destress and be happy in general. So, the next time you want something that helps you smile, and also makes your brain happy, hop onto the puzzle train. Let the digitalization of games be your friend, and solve a puzzle or two while you do the inevitable waiting in lines and commute.