Solving jigsaw puzzles isn’t just a pastime for when you’re stuck indoors on a rainy day (which happens a lot in Denmark). It’s also a great hobby that challenges your mind, encourages you to spend time alone productively, and opens you up to more creative thinking.
There are many different types of puzzles that are beneficial to our brains. From 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles to crosswords to Sudoku, puzzles of all kinds challenge the mind and offer a pleasant escape from reality that helps us expand our creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Not to mention, it’s a kind of mental exercise accessible to those who cannot perform strenuous physical activity.
If you’re wondering whether it’s worth running out to your local bookstore or gaming depot to buy your next big jigsaw puzzle, let me tell you why you should…
Firstly, solving jigsaw puzzles has positive effects on your mental health.
Solving jigsaw puzzles gives you the break you need from your phone—and from complicated reality—by grabbing your attention and encouraging you to focus on a problem you can solve. Nicholas Mathis, the founder of The Wundorium Co., writes that,
“In a world that often feels beyond your control, puzzling offers something quietly radical: agency, purpose, and the certainty that if you stay with it, the broken thing will become whole.”
But how does that really benefit our mental health? How do puzzles increase our sense of purpose and accomplishment? Well, in more scientific terms, Thomas Henricks writes that solving puzzles “[…] emphasizes the feelings of completion (supported biochemically by bursts of dopamine) that make us want to continue playing, both now and in future.” Successfully completing a puzzle gives us a proven mental-boost that few other hobbies can, allowing us to be more positive and ambitious thinkers.
Secondly, solving puzzles contributes to your brain’s health.
Going in hand with your mental health, solving jigsaw puzzles is a good exercise for your brain and encourages more creative thinking. Jigsaw puzzles exercise your brain’s visual-spatial system, which is actually the same system you use to navigate a room, judge distances, read a map, or park a car. Mathis writes that,
“Puzzles genuinely engage your brain in ways that few other leisure activities can match, and the long-term evidence for staying mentally active is strong.”
This claim is supported by ample scientific evidence, including research done by Thomas Henricks, who states, “Puzzling, however trivial it seems, whets the mind and helps participants feel good about their abilities.”
Finally, it can reshape time spent alone from something that feels isolating to something that allows you to decompress and regain your self-control.
In a world of screens and cancel culture, feeling alone and judged is an all-too-familiar experience for people across the globe. Luckily, puzzles can provide a solution. Henrick’s paper, which is published in Psychology Today, notes that most essays contribute the benefits of puzzles to the “[…] experiences of willful isolation and personal control that is central to such activities.” Solving puzzles, especially jigsaw puzzles, can keep you engaged for a long time (without needing a cord to recharge) and is a great alternative to spending time alone scrolling endlessly on your phone.
And here’s the best part: it doesn’t even have to be done alone! Solving jigsaw puzzles is also a fun way to compete with friends, or you can try attending a puzzle night at your local community centre, where you can solve puzzles together as a group.
How puzzles can promote community
Puzzles can also be an effective tool for bringing a community together. Toomy et al. write a research paper arguing that puzzles are beneficial for building connections between strangers, especially for our younger generations. Their study notes that technology has negatively impacted schools, where classrooms have become silent as students stare at laptops and phone screens rather than talking to one another. We are no longer in an age where we turn to our neighbour to ask a question—we turn to Google or AI. Toomey et. al. write,
“[Students] need to collaborate, to play together, to have fun, to use their minds in new and diverse ways that are not screen-related. [The Grand Valley State University Puzzle Club, established in 2024] seems to provide an antidote for some of these issues.”
This Puzzle Club, along with many others, are clubs where strangers come together to assemble jigsaw puzzles, not only providing students with a well-deserved study break, but also offering a relaxed setting where people can talk, laugh, and meet new people. They work together to solve puzzles and celebrate when they succeed. Toomey et. al’s surveys state that…
- 50.8% of members feel strongly that working on the puzzles made conversation easier.
- 88.9% collaborated with at least 1 new person.
- 58.7% did not use their phones at all throughout the meeting.
These types of puzzle clubs are a great example of how puzzles unplug us from technology and promote connection between people.
Why this matters to LifeBonder
At LifeBonder, we’re passionate about offline connections, authentic friendships, and creative inspiration. We’re here to give you the resources and ideas you need to help you break free from scrolling, be creative, and build your community. Our app is a tool to do just that, and we hope to continue to bring people together as we evolve and host more events. Beyond community, LifeBonder wants you to be less tech-addicted and more connected with your mental health and wellness.
If you’re interested in joining our community, start by downloading the LifeBonder app or by checking out our events page to see upcoming events.
For more creative inspiration, check out these previous posts on our LifeBonder blog…
Sources
Henricks, Thomas. “Why We Enjoy Puzzles: The View from Play Studies.” Psychology Today, 1 Mar. 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-pathways-experience/202203/why-we-enjoy-puzzles-the-view-play-studies. Accessed 17 June 2026.
Mathis, Nicholas. “Benefits of Puzzles for Adults: What the Science Says.” The Wundorium Co., 25 Mar. 2026, www.wundorium.com/blog/benefits-of-puzzles-for-adults. Accessed 17 June 2026.
Toomey, J., M. Van Orsdel, P. Lane, R. Lafferty. “Puzzle Club: Unintended Consequences in the World of Technology.” ICERI 2025 Proceedings, pp. 3319-3324. https://doi.org/10.21125/iceri.2025.1046.
Kelsey Gatis
Kelsey is a writer and aspiring journalist with a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. She is currently studying for her MA in English, with courses focusing on culture, society, and history.
