Jigsaw Puzzles: The Pros and Cons (2024)

FAQs

What are the pros and cons of jigsaw puzzles? ›

Jigsaw puzzles can be a fun and enjoyable form of entertainment that provide several benefits, including relaxation, brain stimulation, and social interaction. However, they also have several drawbacks, including limited durability, limited complexity, and space requirements.

Playing a jigsaw puzzle demands skills such as complexity or problem-solving. These skills can become too hard for some people to explicit, leading to most of these people losing their patience.

Turning all pieces so that the picture side is facing up may seem like a tedious task, but it can save time in the long run. While turning the pieces, you can easily sort the puzzle by edge and middle, placing the edges of the puzzle in one area and center pieces in another area.

Working on a puzzle reinforces connections between brain cells, improves mental speed and is an effective way to improve short-term memory. Puzzles increase the production of dopamine, a chemical that regulates mood, memory, and concentration. Dopamine is released with every success as we solve the puzzle.

The puzzle piece symbol has been viewed as perpetuating ableism and stigmatization towards individuals on the autism spectrum. It suggests that autism is a problem to be solved rather than a natural and valid neurodivergent identity [5].

- Limited power: Jigsaws are not the ideal choice for heavy duty DIY projects. They lack cutting capability when dealing with deep or dense cuts. - Less accuracy: Blade flexibility and vibration can make it more difficult to produce neat accurate straight cuts.

Introverted puzzlers are usually drawn to the challenge of a jigsaw puzzle because of a desire to find fulfillment or pleasure in completing a task. Instead of intuiting the abstract, they sense the real and provable. Rather than being guided by their feelings, they prefer to think and reason their way through.

A "dissectologist" is a term used to describe jigsaw puzzle solvers who consider themselves puzzle enthusiasts, and for some, professional puzzlers. It can also be applied to individuals who have a puzzle hobby and enjoy working on a jigsaw whenever there is downtime.

So how do jigsaw puzzles make you smarter? Solving jigsaw puzzles makes you smarter by improving your short-term memory and visual-spatial reasoning skills and exercising both sides of your brain. You also develop problem-solving skills and a higher IQ.

How long should a 1000 piece puzzle take? ›

Sort your pieces by color and pattern. These are the most easily-distinguished features and they offer a way to break the puzzle into a series of manageable sub-tasks. Also, set aside corner and edge pieces. Optional tip: Divide your piles into smaller collections of pieces based on their number of tabs and blanks.

Here are the cons and downsides to jigsaw puzzles.

Jigsaw puzzles can be difficult to solve. There are thousands of pieces in many of the most difficult jigsaw puzzles. It will take more time to assemble and match pieces if you have many pieces. It can take hours to complete a puzzle, depending on how hard you try.

Improved Memory

This, in turn, improves mental speed and thought processes. Puzzles are especially good for improving short-term memory. Our short-term memory helps us remember shapes and colors and visualize the bigger picture to figure out which pieces will fit together.

While puzzles benefit people of all ages, the benefits are especially pronounced for seniors. Puzzles improve brains, help people relax, are a good opportunity for social interaction, and are just good fun!

Some studies have also reported limitations for the Jigsaw method, including ineffective involvement, inadequate teacher supervision, unnecessary content, lack of final summarization by the faculty member, crowded classrooms, the need for evaluation, and piece learning.

Secondly, puzzles often do not have a rigid fixation, so the picture can accidentally break if you touch it. The child may lose motivation and stop attending classes. Third, puzzle pieces are often lost, and the child cannot finish assembling the puzzle he started.

Studies have shown that jigsaw puzzles can help improve visual-spatial reasoning, short-term memory, and problem-solving skills as well as combat cognitive decline, which can reduce risk of developing dementia.