Solving Puzzles Provides Some Control During Uncertain Times

There is a puzzle boom happening today. Puzzles everywhere are selling out and puzzle sales are reportedly up 335% since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. The New York Times spotlighted a German puzzle maker, Ravensburger, who has global sales of approximately $600 million. The increased demand for puzzles has created a problem for manufacturers, due to the intricate nature of the manufacturing process and the new social-distancing measures they implemented to keep workers safe.

But the question we pose is this—does solving jigsaw puzzles give people some semblance of control and help people cope with uncertain times? A great quote from the New York Times article sums up the power of the puzzle these days “with much of the world under lockdown and looking to kill time, jigsaw puzzles have taken on new role: a tool to save humanity.”