The Psychology of Daily Puzzle Streaks

As far as Jigsaw Puzzles in particular, and puzzle solving in general are concerned, many love to do it. Just pick up the newspaper for today whether at home or in a public place and you'll see that someone has already attempted to, or solved the daily crossword puzzle, or any other puzzle game that came with it. A puzzle provides not only a pastime but a sort of temporary escape into a calming and meditative state of mind that relieves stress and anxiety. What's more, it rewards the brain with a satisfying dose of "Dopamine" for every puzzle solved.

Here are a few key factors that drive many to get immersed in the puzzle solving trend that keeps getting handed down from generation to generation.

For starters, puzzle games, especially jigsaw puzzles provide a deep soothing sense of order in a very unpredictable world. A jigsaw is a solvable problem with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Scattered pieces in chaos, an image starting to form, and finally a completed jigsaw image in its full glory.

Solving a puzzle provides a "Flow State" for the mind. There is a sense of philosophy in meditation and analysis, and a perfect balance between challenge and reward. Finding and placing the correct pieces in order triggers not only the Dopamine but a dose of accomplishment which goes full blown when the whole puzzle is solved. Seeing the whole completed picture provides a massive sense of achievement and order.

Puzzle solving (believe it or not) is also a very good way to connect with others. Whether friends, relatives, and even co-workers and acquaintances, puzzle solving is an awesome low-pressure, collaborative activity that allows people to spend quality social time together.

Puzzle Solving Everyday

There are several reasons that encourage many puzzle solving aficionados to engage in the activity on a daily basis. Eventually, the practice psychologically reinforces the mind into turning casual jigsaw puzzle solving into an automatic daily habit.

Puzzle solving gamers (naturally) love to challenge themselves and maybe others. This is when a daily streak becomes so important to them, that missing a day from the activity forces them to return to the start, and attempt to complete the number of days they committed themselves to. Let’s say they committed or accepted a challenge for 20 days straight, missing a day would result in a huge loss of investment in time and effort in achieving their goal. So they stick to the regiment no matter what. This is known as the “Sunk Cost Fallacy”.

Also, being able to maintain a daily streak becomes a part of a player’s self-identity, pride if you will. Reinforcing a positive self-perception, players are able to prove themselves as Smart, Consistent, and Disciplined. This in turn creates a strong aversion to failing and losing by missing, as a hard-earned daily streak is a stronger motivator to play than the game itself.

As the activity turns into a habit, players tend to pair puzzle solving with an already established daily activity, a habit predominantly exhibited by Dads. Examples would be drinking morning coffee and puzzle solving in sync, or you notice your dad going into the family “Privy” with the newspaper crossword puzzle and a pen in hand. Amusing but true.

For online puzzle solvers, social proof is important. Modern online puzzle solving games use visual rewards like badges, emoji, and shareable graphics and screenshots thus proving their achievement in social media. To many, especially those who engage in official challenges, these proofs provides a strong sense of validation and belonging.

To every habit, there is always a psychology behind, and the habit of solving jigsaws or any form of puzzles on a daily basis is practically a good and beneficial one, provided it doesn’t force or create stress in the person doing it. If one loves puzzle solving like the majority of gamers who fondle their PlayStations or PCs on a daily basis, then who are we to judge.