Puzzle – Benefits for psychological development

The simplicity of the puzzles is deceptive. Although the concept is very simple (find the pieces and put them together), it takes an amazing level of mental activity to carry out the steps necessary to complete a puzzle. Psychological studies have identified a number of thought processes that are required to undertake what is in fact a complex process of identifying shapes and images and relating them to an overall pattern. More importantly, solving puzzles is great exercise for the brain and may actually have therapeutic benefits. These benefits include:

problem solving skills. Working out the shapes and color patterns that make up the overall images, including the rotation of the pieces, relates to the kind of basic problem solving that evolution has equipped us to deal with on a subconscious level. Our ancestors relied on the ability to recognize shapes and patterns in the world around them and spot potential predators and danger as a key to survival. Completing a puzzle relies on the same fundamental processes, but in a calm and controlled environment.

Improve self-assessment. Trying to see how the pieces fit together and reassessing where they might go when they don’t fit is a good exercise for checking and reassessing options. Each piece can only go one place, so there isn’t the compromise and sharing that takes place in so many other aspects of modern life. This forces the player to constantly re-evaluate their decisions and teaches patience with the process as it is an integral part of the game.

Improve learning skills. The more a person plays puzzles, the better he recognizes shape, form and color, and the faster he becomes. This is a basic learning structure that is then carried over to other aspects of their lives. In effect, the brain is like a muscle, and the harder it works, the stronger it becomes.

Helps with general perception and understanding. Learning to assemble an overall picture from partial pieces when only part of the picture is in place is a skill that translates to many areas of life. Often there is only a certain amount of information available about a situation and being able to make judgments and draw conclusions is a fundamental practice for successfully coping with the world around us.

Compliance. Our modern lives can often seem like a whirlwind of activity where we constantly move from one activity to the next without seeming to breathe. Completing a puzzle provides a tonic to this frenetic pace, where a period of quiet problem solving ends with the satisfaction of seeing the puzzle complete. This reduces stress and provides a feeling of well-being.

Dementia treatment. Patients with dementia suffer from a disease in which brain tissue deteriorates and the functions that reside in those areas are lost. All of the above benefits equate to a workout for the brain, making brain cells work hard. This type of mental activity slows the onset of dementia by keeping more parts of the brain active for longer.

This level of cognitive complexity goes a long way to explaining why so many people are happy to spend hours working on puzzles. What seems like one of the simplest activities is, in fact, an extremely absorbing and therapeutic brain workout with many hidden benefits. Playing physical puzzles or online puzzles is a beneficial activity for children and adults alike.