5 Surprising benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles as an adult

Wooden jigsaw puzzles are a great way to have fun, get away from all the screens and calm your mind. But these are not the only reasons why putting together a complex jigsaw puzzle is good for you. Especially if you’re an adult! 

Here are 5 reasons why we recommend doing wooden jigsaw puzzles for adults on a regular basis. 

Using jigsaw puzzles as a meditation tool

In the past few years, there has been a lot of talk about mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness means being aware of your thoughts, feelings, and your body in the present moment. Anyone who does or has ever done a jigsaw puzzle will know that when you solve puzzles, your brain and hands working in sync can produce a meditative state. 

So, by doing a jigsaw puzzle, you’re getting similarbenefits as when you meditate. The stress of everyday life evaporates and is replaced by a sense of peace and tranquility that lowers your blood pressure and heart rate. 

Jigsaw puzzles improve your short-term memory

If you have trouble recalling recent things, for example, what you ate for breakfast yesterday, jigsaw puzzles are a great way that can help you with that! Putting the pieces of a puzzle together requires concentration and improves short-term memory and problem-solving. Doing jigsaw puzzles strengthens brain-cell connections and speeds up mental functioning. 

Jigsaw puzzles relieve stress

Doing complex wooden jigsaw puzzles for adults is a cognitively challenging activity, which is important for people of all ages. One informal study led by researchers at Yale University found that working with someone together to put together a jigsaw puzzle could, in the long run, help reduce stress!

Improve visual-spatial reasoning with jigsaw puzzles

Assembling a jigsaw puzzle requires you to examine individual pieces and imagine how they’ll connect into the overall image. Doing this exercise regularly helps us improve our spatial reasoning which helps with driving, learning, staying in focus and increasing concentration. 

Jigsaw puzzles are a way to connect with your loved ones or/and yourself

Jigsaw puzzles can also be a family activity that everyone can enjoy. If you begin a puzzle and leave it on a table in a common area of your home, you can inspire adults and kids to work on it whenever they have a spare moment. If you’re a parent of teens, you can use jigsaw puzzles to engage kids in conversation while collaborating on a task. That’s how you’ll all feel more connected without screens and other distractions. 

Jigsaw puzzles aren’t just great for group interactions. They can also provide a quiet activity you can engage in by yourself, whenever you need a break from the relentless digital world or the demands of work and other stressful activities.

Check out our collection of wooden jigsaw puzzles here.