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News

5 Different Puzzles for Adults

by James Martin
written by James Martin

Puzzles are low-cost and intrinsically-motivating activities that are engaging that provide stress relief and a great sense of accomplishment in solving a challenging puzzle. 

Puzzles have long been a source of both education, entertainment, of connection with family and friends for kids, teens, and adults. 

Different kinds of puzzles such as jigsaw puzzles, 3D puzzles, book puzzles, etc have been commonly used for relieving stress, fun, and satisfying one’s craze for solving puzzles. 

However, these also help in developing your thinking and reasoning abilities. Let’s have a look at how putting puzzles together can be beneficial for enhancing your cognitive abilities. 

Are Puzzles Good for the Brain?

One of the common questions asked by puzzle fanatics as well as others is that ‘are puzzles good for the brain?’ Yes, engaging oneself with solving puzzles helps to develop cognitive abilities. 

The human brain is made up of the left and right hemispheres. Where the left hemisphere is responsible for reasoning, logical thinking, and functions in a linear way, the right hemisphere deals with emotions and sees the bigger picture. Also, the right hemisphere is intuitive, subjective, and seeks randomness. 

Thus, engaging oneself in putting a puzzle together helps build a connection between both sides, gives one an opportunity to learn, understand, and remember. 

Additionally, since one tries to look for pieces, shapes, and colors, one tries to memorize shapes, colors, and patterns. This helps in improving an individual’s short-term memory. 

Further, once an individual completes the puzzle, it gives him a sense of accomplishment. This results in the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter or brain chemical that controls one’s mood and influences one’s motivation and concentration levels. 

Different Puzzles for Adults 

1. CubicFun 3D Puzzle for Adults

Want an advanced level of the jigsaw puzzle that triggers your cognitive side? Go for this CubicFun Puzzle, which is one of the best 3D puzzles for adults. 

This is a 1000-piece puzzle that when put together, takes the form of the Notre Dame de Paris, one of the landmark churches of Paris. 

Further, it not only serves as a stress buster but also helps in building your reasoning skills. The best part about this puzzle is that it has an open wall that allows you to see the interior of the entire church making you feel as if you are inside the church in person. Finally, once completed, you can use the replica of the landmark church to decorate your home or office space. 

2. Buffalo Games Darell Bush Jigsaw Puzzle

This is a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle that is made out of the finest quality materials. Further, it comes with a poster of the design that helps you to solve the puzzle. 

The best part about these jigsaw puzzles manufactured by Buffalo Games is that in case you miss some pieces from the puzzle, the company replaces your missing pieces. This is only if the puzzle has been produced in the last 4 years. 

3. Long fa Brain Teaser Puzzle 

 These are brain teasers that help you cut off from the digital world and at the same time help in building your focus and attention. These are assembly and disassembly puzzles that contain stainless steel metal coils and wooden 3D brain teaser toys. 

Thus, they put your logical ability to test and are ideal for developing your brain. They look simple to solve but involve a lot of mental work to solve them. 

4. Bepuzzled ENIGMA Hanayama Cast Metal Brain Teaser Puzzle

  If there’s a puzzle that can challenge your cognitive side like none other, it’s the Bepuzzled ENIGMA Hanayama Cast metal brain teaser. It’s the toughest of all the brain teasers you’ll find out there. 

The Hanayama series of brain teasers come in 6 different difficulty levels, with Hanayama Enigma being the toughest of all. 

5. CubicFun LED Puzzle

Here’s a 3D puzzle that comes with LED accessories. This is the Flying Dutchman Ship, the ghost ship of the golden age of piracy. It’s a 360-piece puzzle that when put together takes the form of this ghost ship that has two decks and a row of cannons on each side of the ship. 

You’ll also help in developing your thinking and reasoning abilities. Let’s have a look at how putting puzzles together can be beneficial for your brain.

Also Read: 20 Best Fidget Toys of 2022

 

News

Best 3D Puzzles for Adults 

by James Martin
written by James Martin

Jigsaw puzzles have been used for years as a means to bond with family, friends, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts. Kids, teens, and adults are seen putting both their creativity and logical reasoning to put together jigsaw puzzles which continue for days at times. 

It’s still considered one of the best ways to have a fun time with your loved ones and at the same time keep your mind engaged. But did you know that putting together jigsaw puzzles has a lot more to them? 

And one of the typical questions associated with puzzles says ‘Is doing puzzles good for your brain? Well, let’s find out how playing puzzles can enhance your cognitive abilities in the following section. 

Also Read: 20 Best Fidget Toys of 2022

Are Jigsaw Puzzles Good for Your Brain? 

There are studies that reveal that jigsaw puzzles benefit the brain. For instance, neurocognitive disorders like mild impairment and dementia are day-by-day becoming critical mental health issues. And undertaking cognitively challenging activities like putting together a jigsaw puzzle is said to reduce the risk of such mental health issues in the future. 

Similarly, our brains are made up of two sides, the left, and the right hemisphere. Where the left side is responsible for thinking and logical reasoning, the right side sees a bigger picture of things, is intuitive, and creative. Jigsaw puzzles help in engaging both sides of the brain, thus promoting synergy between both sides of the brain. 

Thus, jigsaw puzzles strengthen connections between the brain cells of both sides of the brain. And such connections improve the learning and understanding abilities of the brain. 

In addition to this, they also help in improving short-term memory. Since one needs to remember colors, shapes, and look for pieces that need to be put together, this repetitive memorizing of the pieces helps one to improve short-term memory. 

Best 3D Puzzles for Adults 

The following are some of the coolest puzzles for adults. 

1. BePuzzled Original 3D Crystal Jigsaw Puzzle

This is a 42-piece crystal 3D puzzle for adults by BePuzzled that forms into a unique design and takes the shape of an owl perching on a tree branch. 

This is one of the high-quality puzzles that challenge your reasoning skills and engage you well to put the pieces together. This is level 1 of difficulty but still teases your logical side and is fun at the same time. This is one of the best 3D puzzles for adults, teens, and kids. 

2. WREBBIT 3D Downton Abbey 3D Jigsaw Puzzle

If you are a Downton Abbey fanatic, this 3D puzzle is for you. This is an 890-piece puzzle, each of which interlocks well with the other. WREBBIT has the experience of 30 years of creating unique and challenging 3D puzzles that trigger your problem-solving side as well as the creative bent of your mind. 

This puzzle offers you an engaging experience as you put the pieces together. Both amateurs and seasoned puzzles will find this puzzle stretching their cognitive abilities as they assemble this Downton Abbey puzzle. 

3. Ravensburger Eiffel Tower 3D Jigsaw Puzzle

Made out of plastic, the Ravensburger Eiffel Tower 3D puzzle is what you need for the next level of fun and mental work. This puzzle makes use of the EasyClick technology that allows the pieces to fit together easily, producing the sound of a ‘click’ as they fit in together. 

Ravensburger has been making jigsaw puzzles for the past 130 years and knows how to bring the element of fun and education into its puzzles. This is a 216-piece 3D puzzle that can be used for display once completed. 

4. CubicFun 3D Puzzle Notre Dame Paris Church

If you’re looking for an advanced challenge when it comes to jigsaw puzzles, this CubicFun Notre Dame de  Paris church puzzle is for you. 

This puzzle not only acts as a great stress buster but also gives you a sense of accomplishment once you complete the puzzle. Further, this is a 1000-piece puzzle that can help elderly people by reducing the risk of dementia as it helps in brain coordination. 

The best part about this puzzle is that it has a movable wall that allows you to see the complete church from the inside. Once completed, you can also use it for display in your home or office. 

5. Hands Craft DIY 3D Wooden Puzzle Bundle 

This Hands Craft is a 6-piece dinosaur puzzle set that contains wooden punched-out sheets. Plus, you also have an insert inside that directs you how to complete the puzzle, step-by-step. 

These wooden pieces are made out of plywood and are fun to put together. They help you to connect with your family and friends and build on your cognitive reasoning. 

Health

Not Conditioned To Take a Stand for Your Needs? Here’s What You Can Do

by James Martin
written by James Martin

Do you find it difficult to put forth your needs in front of others because you fear hurting others or simply want to avoid conflicts? Are you a person who believes in doing things yourself instead of seeking help from others? 

Well, you’re not alone because this is pretty common with people. They avoid asking for help at the workplace when stuck with something. This is so because maybe they have had prior experience of not getting a good response in return from their peers. 

Or they prefer keeping things at home in an organized way themselves because they know their partners won’t do it. Also, they accompany their partners for drinks and soccer matches, although they do not enjoy those sessions much. The same thing applies to their sex life. They simply put up with their partners and aren’t able to tell them that their being together can be a lot better for both. 

This is where operant conditioning comes into the picture, a concept given by the American psychologist B.F. Skinner. 

B.F. Skinner Biography – The Father of Operant Conditioning

B.F. Skinner, who is also known as the father of operant conditioning, gave the theory of reinforcement. 

As per this theory, you are likely to repeat a behavior in the future if such a behavior is rewarded or results in positive outcomes. This was an important contribution to the field of behaviorism established by John B Watson, the founder of behaviorism. 

Now, in the above cases, many of us are simply not able to express our needs because of our conditioning. Yes, since childhood, you may have had experiences where asking your teacher or loved one for help did not result in a positive outcome. In fact, you either felt guilty or met with resistance. 

As a result, you learned to either do things yourself, that is never ask for help. Or did not do the task at all. 

One more possibility could be that simply did not express your needs to avoid conflicts. That you are being too nice an individual and do not want to bring into notice the wrongdoing of someone simply because you want to hurt him/her. 

The fact is that all of us hate pointing out the incorrect things of someone we love. However, in the wake of this love and being nice, we suppress our needs constantly which can have severe consequences. 

For instance, it can make us behave in a passive-aggressive way. Or we may lash out in anger at someone for some reason unknown. Or we may gulp down alcohol or munch on donuts to satisfy ourselves. 

So, What Can You Do to Express Your Needs? 

There’s a three-step approach that you can adopt to express your needs to others and take a stand for them. This approach is based on the game Mad Libs, a fill-in-the-blank game but with a twist.  

This approach involves the following three steps to express your needs without the fear of hurting others. 

  1. Appreciate the other person
  2. Expressing your need in a sentence 
  3. Ask for the other person’s acceptance or acknowledgment

Let’s take some examples here to show you how it’s done. 

Say you want your employee to give you weekly reporting of what the work he is doing for you

  1. Dear ________,  I really appreciate the results that you have achieved for us within months. You are an ___________ when it comes to your field of work. I’ll be needing someone who could also give a weekly reporting of work being done in the previous week. Would you do it for us? 

Let’s say you want to say to your partner that you enjoy a cozy date instead of going to a place full of people and filled with the noise of loud music. 

  1. Dear _________, I really enjoy our meetings at these pubs with amazing music and food. But, I really want to try out something new with you like _________. What do you have to say about it? 

Not Conditioned To Take a Stand for Your Needs? Here’s What You Can Do

Do you find it difficult to put forth your needs in front of others because you fear hurting others or simply want to avoid conflicts? Are you a person who believes in doing things yourself instead of seeking help from others? 

Well, you’re not alone because this is pretty common with people. They avoid asking for help at the workplace when stuck with something. This is so because maybe they have had prior experience of not getting a good response in return from their peers. 

Or they prefer keeping things at home in an organized way themselves because they know their partners won’t do it. Also, they accompany their partners for drinks and soccer matches, although they do not enjoy those sessions much. The same thing applies to their sex life. They simply put up with their partners and aren’t able to tell them that their being together can be a lot better for both. 

This is where operant conditioning comes into the picture, a concept given by the American psychologist B.F. Skinner. 

B.F. Skinner Biography – The Father of Operant Conditioning

B.F. Skinner, who is also known as the father of operant conditioning, gave the theory of reinforcement. 

As per this theory, you are likely to repeat a behavior in the future if such a behavior is rewarded or results in positive outcomes. This was an important contribution to the field of behaviorism established by John B Watson, the founder of behaviorism. 

Now, in the above cases, many of us are simply not able to express our needs because of our conditioning. Yes, since childhood, you may have had experiences where asking your teacher or loved one for help did not result in a positive outcome. In fact, you either felt guilty or met with resistance. 

As a result, you learned to either do things yourself, that is never ask for help. Or did not do the task at all. 

One more possibility could be that simply did not express your needs to avoid conflicts. That you are being too nice an individual and do not want to bring into notice the wrongdoing of someone simply because you want to hurt him/her. 

The fact is that all of us hate pointing out the incorrect things of someone we love. However, in the wake of this love and being nice, we suppress our needs constantly which can have severe consequences. 

For instance, it can make us behave in a passive-aggressive way. Or we may lash out in anger at someone for some reason unknown. Or we may gulp down alcohol or munch on donuts to satisfy ourselves. 

So, What Can You Do to Express Your Needs? 

There’s a three-step approach that you can adopt to express your needs to others and take a stand for them. This approach is based on the game Mad Libs, a fill-in-the-blank game but with a twist.  

This approach involves the following three steps to express your needs without the fear of hurting others. 

  1. Appreciate the other person
  2. Expressing your need in a sentence 
  3. Ask for the other person’s acceptance or acknowledgment

Let’s take some examples here to show you how it’s done. 

Say you want your employee to give you weekly reporting of what the work he is doing for you

  1. Dear ________,  I really appreciate the results that you have achieved for us within months. You are an ___________ when it comes to your field of work. I’ll be needing someone who could also give a weekly reporting of work being done in the previous week. Would you do it for us? 

Let’s say you want to say to your partner that you enjoy a cozy date instead of going to a place full of people and filled with the noise of loud music. 

  1. Dear _________, I really enjoy our meetings at these pubs with amazing music and food. But, I really want to try out something new with you like _________. What do you have to say about it? 

 

Health & FitnessHealth & Wellness

Relieve Stress With These Stress Toys

by James Martin
written by James Martin

In today’s times, stress is one thing that’s a consistent reality for many of us. Given the nature of work, the urgings of personal life with the added outlier event like the pandemic, stress levels of people soared up across the globe. 

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Now, one must remember that normal stress is good as it pushes us to achieve our goals. However, stress becomes problematic when it becomes chronic in nature. 

Stress experienced over a long period of time turns chronic and can have devastating effects. 

Read: What is stress rash ?

That’s why calming down and relieving stress is very important for our physical and mental well-being. Some of the ways in which one can reduce stress include regular exercise, meditation, journaling, etc. 

In addition to these, you also have some of the tools available that help you to relieve stress. 

1. Fidgets

 Fidgets or fidget toys are a great way to reduce stress. Fidgeting with them helps you divert your attention and focus on the task at hand. Some of them are specifically very useful for kids and adults with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and autism. 

 

These help you to calm down, relieve stress and anxiety, and get rid of bad habits like hair-pulling, nail-biting, leg-shaking, etc. 

 

Some of the commonly used fidgets include: 

  • Bike Chains

These are fidget toys that also act as bicycle chains for both kids and adults. These have metal alloy rings, chain link parts, and silicone O-rings that make it an ideal fidget for relieving stress, anxiety and improving attention levels. 

 

Therefore, they are very helpful to kids with ADHD, ADD, and autism.  

  • Fidget Spinner

Fidget spinners make for another stress relief tool as they help to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression as people play with them. 

 

All one needs to do is simply prompt the fidget toy to help it start spinning. Further, one can also use the fidget spinner if he/she wants to stay awake to complete a task or increase his/her focus. 

  • Tangle Toys

These are tangle-shaped fidgets that not only improve the motor skills of your children. However, fidgeting with them can also help in relaxing the mind and reducing stress and anxiety. 

 

Further, these fidgets have uneven surfaces and bumps, touching which while playing gives fidgeters relaxation. 

  • Fidget Pads

These are fidgets that have a host of functions. For instance, it can act as a fidget switch, spinner fidget joystick, etc. which helps you to calm down. 

 

Further, with their portable design, it makes them super easy to be carried along to offices, therapy sessions, schools, etc. 

 

2. Stress Balls

Further, with their portable design, it makes them super easy to be carried along to offices, therapy sessions, vacation, etc. There is evidence that stress balls help in relieving anxiety and stress, improve concentration levels, and overall health. 

 

Stress results in tensed muscles and the creation of energy that must be released. Thus, the squeeze and release motion of the stress balls helps in releasing energy and inducing relaxation. Squeezing stress balls also help with relief from carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis pain, and enhances hand and muscle strength. 

3. Dammit Dolls

The Dammit dolls are handmade dolls made out of polyester poplin fabric on the outside and are stuffed with polyester fiber inside. These are squeezed and banged to relieve stress. 

 

So whichever stress, simply take these fabric dolls and smash them to vent out all your frustration and feel relaxed. These come in different designs and help with stress relief.  

4. Magnetic Desk Toys

Magnetic desk toys produce visual illusions and help you improve focus and relieve stress. For instance, Mezmoglobe is a kinetic spinning desk toy taht is created using aerospace-grade aluminum. This makes the ball spin effortlessly on ball bearings and creates a 3D optical illusion with a consistent flow. 

 

The visual illusion thus produced helps you to let go of stress, improve creativity, and improve attention levels.  

5. Chewy Toys

  • Chewable Eraser Tops

These erasers fit as pencil and pen tops and come in various colors, shapes, and sizes. As the name suggested, these are chewable so that you can plunge your teeth into them unconsciously and feel relaxed. 

 

It’s always better to have these pen/pencil tops than chewing away your pencil ends. 

  • Rubber Necklace

The same is the case with a rubber necklace. These are chewable necklaces 

that help you to relieve stress and anxiety as you chew on them. Not only this, this saves you from breaking your teeth or taking in harmful metal if you have a regular habit of chewing on your typical necklaces. 

6. Sculpting Toys

  • Play-Doh and Putty

Play-Doh helps you reduce stress and anxiety the same way as a stress ball. Paly-Doh is nothing but clay that comes in beautiful colors that helps both children and adults knead beautiful creations and at the same time enhance mood, relieve anxiety, and improve attention levels.  

 

Putty is also a dough that comes in a variety of colors. The best is you can fidget with putty with one handwork with the other.  Squeezing, kneading, and softening the putty helps you let go of stress and feel relaxed.  

 

7. Puzzle Toys 

  • Infinity Cubes

Infinity cubes are made of a number of intertwined pieces that come together to form a cube. All you have to do is twist and move these pieces so as to create various shapes and structures. 

 

This whole act of moving the pieces to come up with different shapes helps you distract your mind and over stress and anxiety. 

  • Rubik’s Cube

All of us are familiar with this stress reliever. Yes, a Rubik’s Cube is a fidget toy that is made of different-colored cubes on four sides. The idea is to arrange small cubes in such a way that you have a single-solid color on all sides of the large cube. 

 

Thus, as you twist and turn the larger cube to come up with such an arrangement, you are able to divert your attention and calm your mind down. 

 

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