The advantages of doing jigsaw puzzles

 

When you are at home for long - whether by choice, due to poor health, bad weather, or a global health crisis, you may like to play a game. Jigsaw puzzles are an excellent game for kids and adults to play and kill time. There is a reason every hobby store stocks them. It's a fun game activity for people of all ages and abilities, as they go through hundreds and sometimes thousands of pieces looking for the right one. Unfortunately, since the pandemic hit and everyone got stuck up at home, it's been impossible to buy new ones, as everyone had the great idea of stocking up on the same puzzles. That is except for Funcorp, who always update their stocks and can deliver online. There's a good reason that they sold out so quickly. Solving jigsaw puzzles is fantastic and old-fashioned fun. They tend to be inexpensive, easy to find, and are perfectly fun for playing alone or with others. Even better puzzles are entirely offline fun as there is no need for a digital device. Not only puzzle fun and challenging project to spend a few hours on, but it turns out they are pretty good as brain teasers.

 Solving jigsaw puzzles are a cognitively challenging task, which is essential for people of all ages. One informal study led by researchers at Yale University found that working together to crack a puzzle could reduce stress and improve collaboration and cooperation. A 2014 study found that exposure to games, such as puzzles, resulted in enhanced spatial skills and can prepare young children for 'school readiness.' For the older crowd, there are even more significant benefits to puzzling. "They may help with improving select brain skills and can play an important role in maintaining overall brain health," said Dr. Julie Brody-Magid, a clinical director of the Memory Disorders Assessment Clinic at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, in Harvard's health blog. According to one study, there's evidence that jigsaw puzzles can help keep minds sharp as we age. Another study in the November 2016 International Psychogeriatrics, as reported by Harvard, revealed that brain games could help older minds maintain their quick wits, speedy processing, planning skills, reaction time, decision making, and short-term memory.

 Keeping away the kids or yourself from devices and television can be a difficult task. But it's vital for our mental and physical health. A jigsaw puzzle requires full attention and therein lies the magic. Everyone from adults and teens to millennials and overworked parents to seniors is attracted to this pastime of childhood.

 Here are some benefits of puzzling those might surprise you:

 Jigsaw puzzles exercise both sides of your brain at once - Your left brain is logical and works linearly, while the right side brain is creative and intuitive. According to Neurotransmitter testing Sanesco Health, both sides of the brain are engaged when solving a jigsaw puzzle. Think of it as a mental ability that improves your problem-solving skills and attention span. It's no surprise that Bill Gates admitted to being an avid puzzle solver.

 Jigsaw puzzles improve your short-term memory - One may forget what they had for lunch yesterday. Jigsaw puzzles can help to improve such memory. Solving a puzzle reinforces connections between brain cells, improves mental speed, and is an incredibly effective way to improve short-term memory.

 Jigsaw puzzles improve your visual-spatial reasoning - When solving a jigsaw puzzle, you need to look at individual pieces and figure out where they may fit into the picture. When done regularly, it will improve visual-spatial reasoning, which helps to drive a car, packing materials, using a map, learning to dance and following dance moves, and a whole host of other activities.

 Jigsaw puzzles are an excellent meditation tool and stress reliever - Focusing on one image for an extended period without extraneous thoughts entering your mind is meditation. By solving a jigsaw puzzle, you're getting the same benefits as if you are meditating. The stress of everyday life fumes and is replaced by a sense of peace and tranquility that lowers your blood pressure and anxiety.

 Jigsaw puzzles are an exciting way to connect with family - Solving a jigsaw puzzle and keeping it on a table in the drawing-room or the kitchen can be an invitation for the whole family to participate, whenever there are a few minutes to rest and focus. It's a tactic parents of teens can use to start a family conversation while working toward a common purpose.

 Conversely, Jigsaw puzzles are great for people who need to be alone - Puzzle-solving is perfect for people who want peace and a solo break from the bustle and unrelenting current digital lifestyle stimulus.

 People live longer, better if they puzzle regularly - Studies show that people who solve jigsaw and crossword puzzles regularly have longer life spans and fewer chances of acquiring Alzheimer's disease, memory loss, or dementia. Puzzling stimulates the brain and wards off the plaque that is the cause of Alzheimer's, states a study in the Archives of Neurology. The study compared brain scans of people aged 75-year-old to 25-year-old. It revealed that the older adults who did puzzles regularly had brain scans comparable to the 25-year-olds.

 Solving a jigsaw puzzle is right for your mind, body, and spirit. So, on a lazy Sunday or better yet, a crazed Monday, unplug, put your phone on "Do Not Disturb," and get busy with a giant puzzle. Funcorp is your gateway to all the fun toys that keep you happy. Check their website for toys for children and teens.