I have been solving puzzles for years, actually from childhood days. Got into competitive Sudoku solving (reached national level championship 09 times) and Puzzle solving (reached national level championship twice) in the last 15 years or so. It has now become a part of life on the verge of addiction. While researching for aspects related to this type of addiction, came across benefits associated with puzzle solving.
Puzzles, power the brain and are a great family activity as well as solo pastime. Puzzles are incredibly beneficial for children because they foster physical and cognitive brain skills. They are beneficial for adults as well as they keep the brain active and delay onset of dementia and Alzheimer.
Puzzles have existed in various forms since the time of the ancient world. Riddles are mentioned in the Bible, puzzle jugs date to the 1700 BCE in Cyprus, and magic squares were introduced in China around 700 BCE.
In modern times, jigsaw puzzles were invented by John Spilsbury in 1767, crossword puzzles were first published in newspapers in 1913, and the Rubik’s Cube was created in 1974.
There are thousands of types and varieties of puzzles including Logic puzzles, mathematical puzzles, word puzzles, code puzzles and linguistics puzzles etc.
Benefits of Puzzle Solving
- Mental exercise. Solving puzzles exercises both the right side (in charge of creativity, emotions and intuitive thinking) and left side (the logical, objective and methodical side) of the brain.
- Prevents Cognitive Decline. While solving puzzles both sides of the brain communicate and work together, increasing cognitive function.
- Improves Visual-Spatial Reasoning. Assembling jigsaw type of puzzles helps in improving spatial reasoning.
- Greater Attention to Detail. Solving puzzles entails paying attention to details. The ability to capture small details helps in all aspects of our lives.
- Improve memory. Solving puzzles strengthens neural connections and increases the generation of new connections. This increases mental speed, thought process and improvement in memory.
- Increases IQ. Regular solving of puzzles does raise the IQ level by improvement in memory, concentration, vocabulary, and reasoning skills.
- Improves Problem Solving Ability. Solving puzzles involves adopting different approaches, formulating theories, testing hypotheses, and changing perspectives. This also helps in critical thinking, better adaptive skills and day to day dealing with situations.
- Enhances Mood. One of the benefits of puzzles is that they increase the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, memory, and concentration. Dopamine is released with every success in solving puzzle.
- They Lower Stress Levels. Puzzles invigorate the brains but they are also very relaxing. This leads to a better mind set and better stress coping skills.
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START
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Very true. Puzzle solving is also a great way to hone your skills in coding.
Coding is actually a kind of puzzle solving.
I have been doing word puzzles for some time now and find them great in all aspects you have listed