What’s the first thing you did when you woke up this morning?

I can bet you picked up your smartphone...You probably spent the first few minutes of your day catching up on the news, on social media, or emails. You didn’t meditate, reflect, or have a conversation with the person lying next to you. And It’s probably the last thing you’ll do again this evening or before you going to sleep.

Mobile devices, particularly the mobile phone, have been accused of creating as many problems as they have solved.

In the last few years, numerous studies have sought to link these gadgets to attention deficit disorders, shorter attention spans and even the reduced ability to remember stuff. After all, why remember anything when you can Google it, or use an app?

To be fair however, distraction did not begin with the mobile phone, or the Internet. Since the beginning of time, human beings have found ways to distract themselves from the humdrum of everyday life.

As technology has advanced, so has the number of ways in which we are distracted. Think about it: when was the last time you really had a conversation with somebody, without looking at your phone?

Isn’t it ironic that the mobile phone, the device that keeps us connected to the world around us, is also disconnecting us from the people closest to us?

We claim to be more connected than we ever were, thanks to technology. But how connected are we really? We barely speak to each other anymore. It’s easier to send emojis on WhatsApp than it is to meet someone and express the same emotions we try to convey via smiley faces.

You’ve seen it every time you go out to eat, maybe even at your own table at home: couples and families dining in silence, with everyone’s attention focused on their phones.

Our mobile devices are replacing real human connection, and it’s time to reclaim what we’ve lost: conversation. Technology, for all its amazing capabilities, can never replace in-depth, face-to-face conversations. What is said via text message or email almost never carries the same weight, or meaning, as that which is said in person.

Therefore technology cannot – and should not – be a substitute for real conversation, and we mustn’t try to turn it into one.

Solution? Take a break from technology with special games and activities.

For example, Coolioos products are great to connect with yourself & others and to take a short but essential & healthy break from your phone or technology.

Most of Coolioos products are made exactly for people who want to take a break from technology for 1-2 hours, so they be able to listen more and have real conversation with their family and friends, without the distractions of technology or media.

It is the end of the workday and it’s time to go home! As an escape from the stresses and strains of the day, many people seek an after-work activity that allows them to think about something other than their jobs, and helps them to relax. Doing puzzles is a fantastic solution to wind down at home after a hard day, with the family or even on your own.

What is most fascinating is spending quality time on your own, whilst allowing your mind to drift away to another place or another world, all while searching, finding, assembling and ultimately seeing the puzzle scene come together.

You’re investing in an experience & a piece of Art

First off, when you choose to purchase a puzzle, you’re not paying for a product. You’re paying for the experience of assembling the puzzle.

While the rest of your life is run by your calendar, puzzle time does not need to be scheduled. It’s a low pressure, but mentally engaging experience.

It really does not even matter what the puzzle depicts. A completed puzzle is a reminder that you are the type of person that does what is necessary to solve the problems you face.

Puzzles bring people together to solve problems

You can solve puzzles with as many or as few people as you like. When you involve others in the process of making a puzzle, you are creating a shared memory of addressing a challenge together. Put another way, you get to share the IKEA effect with other people.

That is the type of memory that strengthens a relationship, and potentially could even repair a broken one.

Games do not always have to be a competition, and relaxing into a puzzle can be the best way to connect with someone who isn’t fond of high action games.

I’ve always been a fan of working on a 3D puzzle while singing along to favorite songs with some friends, or quietly curling up and working on with my family. Nothing can beat the sense of accomplishment and pride that is felt when finally completing any kind of puzzle with someone.

Great Health Benefits

Adults & Kids are turning to puzzles more and more as there are so many health benefits such as:

Increased IQ: Puzzles provide improvements to our vocabulary, memory, and overall reasoning. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of the other benefits of puzzles is that they help raise our IQ (intelligence quotient).

Improved Memory: Solving puzzles helps reinforce existing connections between our brain cells. It also increases the generation of new relationships. This, in turn, improves mental speed and thought processes.

Improved Mood: Another one of the benefits of puzzles is that they increase our brains’ production of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and feelings of optimism. It also affects memory, concentration, and motivation. Dopamine is released every time we successfully solve a puzzle — or even just get one piece in the right place. This encourages us to continue working on solving them and challenging ourselves.

Better Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to creatively solve problems and think critically is greatly valued in the workforce. Puzzles help us develop all of those important skills. Puzzles require us to take different approaches to try and solve a problem since there’s a lot of trial and error involved.

Lower Stress Levels: At the same time that puzzles challenge us, they also help us to relax. Our brains also go from a "Beta," or wakeful, state to an "Alpha" state when we’re solving puzzles. The Alpha state is similar to the state we’re in when we’re dreaming. This shift in consciousness comes with many benefits, including: Ability to make deeper connections, Improve our mindset, Relieve stress, Improve mood, Increase our self-confidence.

Increased Attention to Detail: When you’re trying to solve a puzzle, attention to detail is crucial. You need to train your eyes to pick out slight differences in color or shape that will help you put everything together. An ability to pick up on small details helps in every aspect of our lives, especially at work. When we’re more detailed oriented and precise, the quality of our work improves.

Increased Productivity: When we’re happier and less stressed out, it’s easier for us to concentrate. When our concentration improves, our productivity naturally skyrockets.

If you’re struggling to stay on task at work or school, consider taking a short break to solve a puzzle and reset your brain.

Many offices & schools are actually starting to include Puzzles & Brain Teasers in their rest rooms. These puzzles let employees & students take their minds off work or study for a few minutes and come back refreshed and ready to go.

Better Collaboration: If you’re looking for another reason to incorporate puzzles into your workplace, tell your boss that they’ve been proven to build collaboration between coworkers. Researchers at Yale University found that giving people the opportunity to work together on solving puzzles allowed them to improve relationships and their abilities to cooperate to finish a task.

Improved Visual-Spatial Reasoning: When solving a jigsaw puzzle, we have to look at different pieces and figuring out where they fit within the larger picture. Doing this regularly helps improve our visual-spatial reasoning. Better visual-spacial skills help with a number of everyday tasks, including: Driving a car (parking, switching lanes, etc.), Packing and figuring out how many items can fit in boxes, suitcases, or the trunks of our cars, using a map etc.

Delay Dementia & Alzheimer’s: Studies show that keeping the mind active through puzzles and other problem-solving activities can reduce the amount of brain cell damage that occurs in Alzheimer’s patients. It also supports the growth of new nerve cells and strengthens the connections between them.

Grows your immune system: Research shows that negative thoughts and feelings can reduce the ability to fight disease whilst positive thoughts and feelings – for example the enjoyment and laughter you get from playing Puzzles together – prevent these effects with the chemicals being released by the body due to these type of energy.

Child development: If this is a news to you, yes, playing puzzles help children develop their logic and reasoning skills, improve critical thinking and boost spatial reasoning. The ability to concentrate and focus for a longer period of time is also developed with just playing puzzles.

Are you all pumped up to play some puzzles now? They also make wonderful gifts that can last a lifetime.

Take a Break

This is a reminder to spend more time together playing games and strengthen the bonds with the people who matter most, our friends and family.

So lets not forget to take a break from our phone sometimes. It’ll be good for us, good for those around us, and ultimately, good for the world.

To learn more or to contact us please visit Coolioos