Imagine coming home after long hours on phone, laptop, zoom calls. Your eyes ache. Your mind is tapped. Picking up a physical puzzle (a jigsaw, or maybe sudoku on paper) feels like a small escape. There's no notification blinking, no ads, no distractions—and that’s a relief.
For many adults, puzzles are nostalgia: childhood memories of puzzles, board games, solving crosswords with parents. Returning to puzzles brings warmth, calm. There’s slow satisfaction in sorting pieces, building edges, finishing a section. Small goals, small wins.
In Indian metro life, where many commute long hours, digital time is huge. Adults are craving non-digital hobbies. This reflects in some cafés and bookstores offering puzzle tables, or hosting puzzle meetups. In online shopping, well-made puzzles (aesthetically pleasing) are selling well. Also, premium puzzles are seen as gifts.
Another reason: mental health. Puzzles provide focus, reduce rumination, help with stress. They force you to engage in the moment. The tactile nature helps.
There’s also community: sharing progress, tips, showing finished puzzles on Instagram or WhatsApp groups, sometimes puzzle swaps.
Challenges: cost of good quality puzzles; space to store sets; time (you need some free time). Some may feel frustrated with complex puzzles. But overall, adults are seeing puzzles not just as children’s pastimes but legitimate mental breaks, creative hobbies, social tools.
