The Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles for Adults: Brain, Memory and Well-Being

03/14/2023 | By Laura Frechilla

 
Adult jigsaw puzzle have made a real comeback since the lockdown—and for good reason! Until recently, they were still associated with an old-fashioned and rather boring pastime. And yet, this game of patience isn’t just for kids! Both relaxing and stimulating, it offers countless benefits for the brain and the mind. So it’s high time to give this activity the recognition it deserves and reveal all the benefits of jigsaw puzzles for adults!

How Jigsaw Puzzles Benefit Your Brain

A Complete Workout for Your Brain 

When you do this activity, 8 visual and spatial functions are engaged at the same time! This is what researcher Patrick Fissler found in a 2018 study. To recreate the picture, you must connect various clues. Among other things, you engage your perception, flexibility, memory, mental rotation, and reasoning.

🔎 First, you become a detective, using your spatial structuring skills. You need to identify the shapes and colors of the pieces, their orientation, and how they relate to one another. Next, you must apply your strategic talents by following a certain methodology: sort the pieces, position the corners and edges, then complete the central sections.

 
Much more than a pastime, it is an exercise in problem-solving. It requires processing several pieces of information at the same time to reconstruct a whole. The term "puzzle," which comes from English, refers to a riddle. And the more difficult the jigsaw puzzle, the greater the mental challenge you set yourself!

The Benefits of Jigsaw Puzzles at Every Age

The benefits of jigsaw puzzles for young children have long been recognized. These games of patience stimulate cognitive development in children, helping them develop their concentration, observation, and thinking skills. The effort required also encourages patience and perseverance, while helping them cope better with frustration.

For seniors, this hands-on activity helps maintain dexterity. It requires precise movements to pick up the pieces, rotate them in different directions, and fit them together. An ideal gift for Grandparents' Day!

In addition to maintaining finger flexibility, jigsaw puzzles may also help to preserve memory and slow cognitive decline. A professor of neuroanatomy at the University of Southampton argues that by stimulating blood flow in the brain, “jigsaw puzzles help delay the onset and progression of dementia symptoms” (The Guardian, 2025). A significant benefit for maintaining brain health as we age!

👉 Related Reading: What Is International Puzzle Day?

The Benefits of Puzzles for Stress Relief

In a world that constantly overstimulates us, it’s not easy to find hobbies that don’t involve screens. Jigsaw puzzles offer the chance to focus on the present moment while building self-confidence. 

A Mindful Activity That Helps You Switch Off 

Productivity, speed, performance, responsibilities... To reduce the stress associated with our hectic pace of life, we are advised to slow down and take a break. Disconnect to reconnect with ourselves? Yes, perhaps, but how? 

Mindfulness meditation to relieve tension is all the rage. But how can you really let go? Who hasn't been plagued by intrusive, obsessive thoughts during a meditation session, such as "Why did I say that at that party? I sounded ridiculous...", or even existential questions like, "What if I quit my job and set off to walk the Camino on my own?"

Doing a jigsaw puzzle  is a meditative activity that focuses your attention on a single task. By putting the pieces together, you can achieve a state of mental and physical relaxation that wards off negative or anxious thoughts. That is the greatest benefit of jigsaw puzzles: time stands still, and you finally live in the here and now! 

👉 Related Reading: 3 Quick Relaxation Techniques 

How Jigsaw Puzzles Boost Confidence 

Completing a jigsaw puzzle is a regular source of small satisfactions. For example, when you finish sorting the pieces, or when you complete the border. This accumulation of small successes reinforces your sense of control and boosts your self-esteem. And as your sense of accomplishment grows, it is also punctuated by moments of intense euphoria. Hello, state of flow!

What a thrill it is when you find a missing piece, after being convinced that the manufacturer had forgotten it or that the dog had eaten it! And what pride you feel when you place the last piece! You admire the final result as if it were a work of art (unless you chose a picture of a kitten with a bow tie instead of Falling Snow, for example...) and refuse to put it back in the box right away!

This feeling of fulfillment that overwhelms us is biological. Solving a jigsaw puzzle stimulates the region of the brain involved in the brain's reward system. You enter a virtuous circle of motivation. The challenge has been successfully completed, you develop your self-confidence, and you'll be more willing to challenge yourself.

👉 Related Reading: Jigsaw Puzzle World Records

So, when will you get a 10,000-piece puzzle to fully enjoy the benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles? Yes, we suspect you probably don't have enough space. In the meantime, you can always start with a 500-piece or 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle from our store!