Why Puzzles Are Good For Your Brain

Boost Your Brain Power - Puzzles Have That Feel Good Factor! 

Are you one of the many people who open your newspaper and go straight to the puzzle page? Everyone needs a break sometimes, and puzzles help us focus and forget life’s little distractions. They’re an activity that is simultaneously stimulating and relaxing!  

 

Puzzles are always great fun, but they also give our brains a good workout. Whether it’s a 1,000-piece jigsaw, codebreaker, crossword or mechanical puzzle, they are designed to power our grey matter. Jigsaw puzzles, word games, and books will improve cognitive powers and very possibly even increase our IQ score.  

 

Here at Gifts Australia, we think puzzle-solving is much better than slumping in front of the TV. Humans have always loved setting ourselves challenges and riddles, but now there’s such a huge range of accessible and exciting choices. What are the best puzzles to buy? Read on for inspiration!

 

Benefits of Doing Jigsaw Puzzles And Mind-boggling Games

Puzzles can be challenging, baffling and frustrating. But did you know that the more you solve them, the better your brain functions? The very act of trying to figure out the result of a puzzle has a multitude of positive advantages:

 

• Enables you to stimulate your brain beyond what’s required for daily activities. Puzzles use both the creative and logical parts of your brain, giving it a complete workout.


• Helps you to relieve stress since your mind concentrates fully on something other than day-to-day issues and your jobs list.


• Encourages our brains to produce dopamine, a chemical also known as the happy hormone. This chemical is responsible for any time you feel good about something, and its production also affects your physical wellbeing. 


• Improves your short term memory since puzzle-solving increases the speed with which your brain cells reinforce the connections made while you do various activities.


• Allows you to find time to relax and meditate since you stay focused on one thing for an extended period.

 

The best thing, and why everyone loves puzzles, is that regardless of the type, there are endless benefits to our overall mental health. The effects of solving puzzles also extend further into your older years, with research indicating they can help stave off diseases like dementia and Parkinsons.

 

 

What Puzzles Are Good For Your Brain?

 

Whenever you mention puzzles, the first things that come to mind are normally jigsaw puzzles, crosswords or sudoku. However, there are hundreds of exciting variations out there to keep you occupied including: 

 

• Mechanical puzzles - these are puzzles you can solve physically like a jigsaw puzzle.


• Logic puzzles - these require a logistical approach using deductive reasoning to come up with a solution.


• Word puzzles - these take into account your knowledge of vocabulary and also sometimes require logical reasoning. 


• Math puzzles - these are for number fans and can also be logic-based or word puzzles.


• Rebus puzzles - these take a unique approach by incorporating combinations of words, numbers and pictures to create the clues you need to solve them.

 

What Are The Best Puzzles For Adults?

With so many options, choosing puzzles becomes a matter of personal taste. One person may like the challenge of complex jigsaw puzzles; others may prefer to have a crossword on the go. We've compiled a list of the most common puzzles to help you keep your mind sharp. It’s always great fun to try something new! 

Jigsaw Puzzles

These are well-known puzzles that require you to put together lots of small pieces to create an image. Some come with similarly shaped pieces, while others make things much harder by having various shapes. There are all sorts of sizes and difficulty levels and even jigsaw puzzles that can be assembled to create 3D models rather than 2D images. Jigsaws are some of our favourite gifts for her.

Word Puzzles

There are three main types of word puzzles where you fill in an empty grid. A hints crossword works like trivia with clues to help you find the answers. A fill-in crossword is where you're given the answers but have to figure out where they fit in the grid. Lastly, a cryptic crossword is a harder version of a hints crossword and has cryptic clues and riddles to solve.

Syllogism Puzzles

These are trivia-style logic puzzles that require you to find a true statement from a set of clues, many of which are false. It's an easier version of challenging logic puzzles, so it’s an excellent place to start and get to know this puzzle category well.

Rubik's Cubes

The original Rubik's cube needs shuffling until you have placed all matching colours on each cube face. Today’s variations include tetrahedron, polygonal, spherical, cylindrical and polyhedron cubes, all coming with more sections for you to realign. There are even quirky designs like the quadruple, mirror, maze puzzle, and ghost cubes! 

Cryptograms

These are mind-bending code breaker puzzles that you need to decipher using a cypher. You will have a coded statement where either numbers or letters are used to represent other numbers or letters. Figure out what the cypher is to help you solve the puzzle!

Disentanglement Puzzles

As the name suggests, these are pieces that you need to disentangle from one or more other pieces. It may sound simple until you have it in front of you. This type of puzzle can be metal pieces entangled together or a mixture of string and nails on a wooden plate, such as the Baguenaudier puzzle.

Sudoku

Sudoku is a 9x9 grid with smaller 3x3 grids within them. You have 9 numbers or letters that need to go into each grid. What makes these puzzles tricky is that each row and column must only contain one set of numbers. No repetitions. They are extremely popular puzzle choices, and you can find big and small grids with different levels of difficulty.

Kakuro

For a mathematical approach to a crossword grid, try Kakuro. This puzzle requires you to figure out sequences of numbers that create numbers provided as hints next to the empty spaces. Keep in mind that these also intertwine with other numbers on the grid to fill different spaces seamlessly. They are frustratingly fun to complete. 

 

 

Spark Your Brain With Gifts Australia's Puzzle Selection

Now you know why everyone loves puzzles and some of the exciting choices, we hope you feel inspired to get started. Browse our collection of mind-stimulating puzzles and games for an assortment of fun options suitable for kids and grown-ups. 

 

There are fabulous jigsaw puzzles with unique options like those that create 3D models, while some even glow in the dark! To keep you extra busy, treat yourself to puzzle book collections packed with different options like sudoku, word searches, crosswords and more. You can even gift a friend something unique like puzzle coasters to add flair and fun to their coffee table!