100 cognitively healthy adults were followed for over 50 years. It turned out that a jigsaw puzzle has a positive effect on people as they get older because, among other things, it trains short-term memory. But what is even more important is that anyone who engages in long-term, regular brain jogging, such as with this game, can protect themselves from mental deterioration in old age – this is the result of the study. This is partly due to the fact that both hemispheres of the brain are required when searching for and finding the individual parts: When sorting, we have to proceed logically, i.e. use the left half of our brain. When we put it together, on the other hand, we stimulate the left half of our brain, which is where our creative center is, so to speak.
Thanks to the successful cooperation between both sides, the connection between individual brain cells is significantly stronger and more efficient. This in turn leads to an increase in the ability to concentrate. And that’s not all of the positive qualities that a jigsaw puzzle can evoke in us: it improves our imagination, lifts our spirits (due to a sense of achievement) and has a calming effect – which is definitely beneficial for people with high blood pressure. Aside from all the healthy aspects, jigsaw puzzles are just plain fun. Test it yourself!
1. Marvel
There’s a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle for all you Marvel fans out there, featuring the Avengers. The finished result is an area of 69 by 50 centimeters. In addition, the game contains a little goodie: a fix-puzzle-adhesive, so that you can also frame the finished motif (if desired) as a picture and hang it up. Here is the jigsaw puzzle.
2. Disney
For the Disney fans among you, there is also a real treat: a three-dimensional puzzle that requires spatial thinking to complete. The lock, which measures 45 by 27 by 50 centimetres, consists of 216 plastic parts and 96 accessories. So you can also do the puzzle together with your children. Here you get the puzzle.
3. World Map
The historians among you will surely have fun with this puzzle: A world map measuring 153 by 101 centimeters is created from a total of 5000 parts. Since the motif hardly differs in color and consists of many individual parts, only real puzzle experts should try it. After all, you want the job to be fun. Here is the difficult puzzle.
4. wood
For the model builders among you there is a wooden puzzle kit that has been cut with a laser. The total of 172 individual parts result in a three-dimensional structure made of gears, which you can use as a game after completion – with the included balls. Here you get the 3D puzzle made of wood for adult hobbyists.
5. 3D-Puzzle
For the thinkers among you, there is also a matching 3D wooden puzzle. Similar to the game Tetris, the task is to put all the pieces together so that they fit seamlessly – and in the end result in a square cube. If you feel up to the challenge, the puzzle is here.
6. Elbe Philharmonic Hall
For all those interested in culture, there is Hamburg’s new landmark as a puzzle: the Elbphilharmonie. Even if 10,000 tiles were used in the large hall alone, the game consists of only 1,000 individual parts – after all, one would like to finish with them at some point. You can get the 64 by 48 centimeter puzzle here.
7th Art
The artists among you can face this challenge: The masterpiece “The Kiss” by Gutstav Klimt, an important painter from Austria who helped shape Viennese Art Nouveau. The puzzle consists of 200 parts and is only for seasoned professionals and adults due to the complex motif. Here you will find the puzzle.
8. James Rizzi
The 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle by James Rizzi, the well-known pop art painter from New York, is no less challenging. The motif is so difficult that the manufacturer even recommends that the puzzle should not be made under the age of 14 – and that’s saying something. You can be all the prouder when you beat the game. Here you will find the puzzle and rise to the challenge.
Do you know that too? You’ve only just spread all the pieces of the puzzle over the entire dining table – and suddenly you have to clear the area again because dinner is coming up. But what to do with the parts that have already been assembled without destroying the work done? A special mat can be used here, which you can roll out (preferably before the first handshake) and do a puzzle on it. If the work of art needs to be put away later, you can stow it away using the roll that comes with it.
All beginnings are difficult, this also applies to the jigsaw puzzle. For this reason, beginners should start with an easy variant consisting of only 500 pieces: first sort out the edge pieces to build the frame. Then sort the pieces by color and shape. Both can help to get a better overview and to solve the puzzle logically and systematically.
If you are already an advanced jigsaw puzzle expert, you can try a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Since many pieces are similar here, the challenge is much greater – and thus the level of difficulty. If this hurdle is also a piece of cake for you, you can try your hand at a puzzle between 2,000 and 5,000 pieces. Here, however, you should bring a lot of time and patience with you so that you don’t give up after just a few hours.
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