Benefits of puzzles
The Neurological Benefits of Puzzles: A Scientific Review
Puzzles, whether brain teasers, crosswords, sudoku, or physical puzzles, are often viewed as a fun activity or an enjoyable pastime. However, regular practice has shown significant neurological benefits. This article explores in detail how puzzles can stimulate different regions of the brain, improve cognitive function, and even protect against certain neurodegenerative diseases.
1. The role of puzzles in brain plasticity
Brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity, is the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Puzzles play a key role in this process by engaging a variety of cognitive functions, including attention, working memory, and problem solving.
1.1 Simultaneous activation of several brain regions
Puzzles engage multiple brain regions. For example, when assembling a physical puzzle, the parietal lobe is activated to interpret shapes and spatial orientations, while the prefrontal cortex is called upon to plan the steps of solving it. This simultaneous activation promotes the strengthening of neural networks.
Brain imaging studies have shown that puzzles involving spatial components, such as physical puzzles, increase activity in the visual cortex, while crosswords stimulate areas associated with language, such as the superior temporal gyrus. This diverse activation is crucial for maintaining cognitive flexibility.
2. Improved executive functions and working memory
Executive functions, which include planning, decision-making, and mental flexibility, are essential in everyday life. Puzzles, by their very nature, require logical thinking and anticipation of the consequences of an action.
2.1 Strengthening working memory
Putting together a puzzle requires remembering the pieces you've already tried and their characteristics. This working memory is essential for coordinating complex tasks and solving problems. A study in the journal Neuropsychologia (2018) showed that jigsaw puzzles increased working memory skills in participants after just six weeks of training.
2.2 Development of problem-solving strategies
Puzzles stimulate the creation of adaptive strategies. For example, an individual may change his or her approach from a global search to a specific search, a skill that is transferable to other situations requiring rapid decision-making.
3. Reduced stress and improved concentration
3.1 Meditative effect of puzzles
Solving a puzzle requires focused attention and reduces stimulation from external distractions. This state of "flow", described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is associated with a decrease in the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. Puzzles thus act as a form of active meditation, helping to reduce anxiety and promote a state of calm.
3.2 Improving selective attention
Puzzles force the brain to filter out irrelevant information to focus on the main task. Regular practice can improve selective attention, a crucial benefit in an age of omnipresent digital distractions.
4. Protection against cognitive decline
As we age, cognitive abilities naturally decline, but cognitively stimulating activities, such as puzzles, can slow this process.
4.1 Preventive effect against Alzheimer's disease
A study from the University of California, Berkeley (2011) found that individuals who engaged in regular cognitive activities, including jigsaw puzzles, had less accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques, a key biomarker of Alzheimer's disease. Jigsaw puzzles also delayed the onset of clinical symptoms by increasing "cognitive reserve," or the brain's ability to compensate for damage.
4.2 Stimulation of memory capacities
Puzzles not only strengthen working memory, but also long-term memory. Solving a crossword, for example, forces you to recall facts learned in the past, an activity that maintains semantic memory.
5. Development of spatial and visual skills
Physical puzzles, such as shape puzzles or tangrams, are particularly beneficial for spatial skills.
5.1 Improvement of visuospatial perception
Putting together a puzzle requires an understanding of spatial relationships, such as the orientation of pieces and how they fit into a larger framework. This skill is essential in many professional fields, including architecture, design, and engineering.
5.2 Effects on overall vision and details
Puzzles encourage switching between big picture thinking (seeing the whole picture) and detail thinking (looking at specific features of the pieces). This switching improves cognitive flexibility and trains attentional switching functions, which are essential in complex tasks.
6. Impact on children and young adults
The benefits of puzzles are not limited to adults and the elderly. In children, they contribute to cognitive, emotional and social development.
6.1 Development of fine motor skills
Physical puzzles require precise manipulation, which helps children develop hand-eye coordination.
6.2 Strengthening patience and perseverance
Solving a puzzle is an activity that teaches children patience and perseverance, skills needed to overcome challenges in other areas of life.
6.3 Stimulation of critical and creative thinking
Puzzles provide opportunities for playful learning. They stimulate critical thinking and encourage children to find innovative solutions, thus promoting creativity.
7. Puzzles as a tool for neurological rehabilitation
Puzzles have found their place in rehabilitation programs for people who have suffered head trauma or stroke.
7.1 Recovery of cognitive functions
Puzzles are used to retrain skills such as memory, planning, and motor coordination in neurological patients. A study in Brain Injury (2016) showed that regular use of puzzles improves overall cognitive performance after stroke.
7.2 Effect on neurogenesis
Recent research suggests that stimulating activities like puzzles may promote neurogenesis in the hippocampus, a key region for memory.
8. Future prospects and ongoing research
Scientific interest in the effects of puzzles is growing. Studies are currently seeking to understand how different types of puzzles affect specific brain regions.
8.1 Personalized approaches
With the advent of neuroimaging and artificial intelligence, it is now possible to design puzzles tailored to the specific needs of individuals, for example to strengthen a particular cognitive function.
8.2 Digital applications
Digital puzzles, such as those available on mobile apps, offer a convenient and accessible alternative. However, research is needed to determine whether their neurological effects are comparable to those of traditional puzzles.
Conclusion
Puzzles are more than just entertainment. Regular practice provides multiple neurological benefits, from improving executive functions to protecting against cognitive decline. By simultaneously stimulating multiple brain regions, they promote brain plasticity, strengthen memory, and reduce stress. In a world where cognitive demands are numerous, puzzles offer an accessible and scientifically validated activity to maintain a healthy brain.
Future research should continue to explore the underlying mechanisms of these effects, opening the way to new therapeutic and educational applications. Puzzles, in their many forms, are eloquent evidence of the infinite potential of the human brain to adapt, learn and develop throughout life.