Ginevra Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Because I think the abilities of the mind are themselves an interesting puzzle, I always find it thrilling when this happens as I am completing a jigsaw puzzle. I assume other people experience this as well. Or I'm just a puzzle savant, which if that is true, would figure, because AFAIK, that isn't an income-generating skill. But anyway... I will be working on a puzzle with a fair amount of pieces. I have the frame of the puzzle and some other areas completed. I have the box of additional pieces in my hand and I comb through the pieces. One piece catches my eye; I pluck it from the box and know exactly where it goes. I guess there are analogous experiences for people in other venues, like maybe a chef just pulls out the blackberry jam on a whim and it's the perfect component of a sauce for the pork. Or maybe an accountant is working on balancing a spreadsheet and the answer to some question just falls into his or her head and boom! A balanced sheet. Does this occur for most people when they are putting together a puzzle? Also, I am just fascinated by how this is possible. It makes me happy. It is serendipitous. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes. I must also be a "puzzle savant". Who knew? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes. I must also be a "puzzle savant". Who knew? Any ideas as to how to generate income as a puzzle savant? That would be handy. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Any ideas as to how to generate income as a puzzle savant? That would be handy.Sorry, none.One piece catches my eye; I pluck it from the box and know exactly where it goes.You know, I think this is just the kind of random reward that the Skinner Box teaches us causes us to keep coming back for more. Those who like puzzles must get enough of these to keep them interested. Other people simply don't enjoy puzzles. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbotoast Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 I think it happens because you become familiar with the picture after looking at it for a while. I love puzzles :) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twolittleboys Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes, that kind of happens to me too. I think it is even stranger with word searches. Often, after like the fifth word or so, my eye will automatically go to the right area to find a word. There must be a subconscious part of my mind that has analyzed the letter grid or remembers it or something but I am not consciously aware of it. It is pretty strange! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeking Squirrels Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes, I do this! I really don't "try out" pieces often. My DD is well on her way. She just turned 5 last week and she's now doing 300 piece puzzles independently. In any given day she'll usually do 2-5 puzzles of 100-300 pieces each. She just recognizes pieces and knows what she's looking for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes this happens to me often. My dh looks at me like an alien when I do it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes this happens to me often. My dh looks at me like an alien when I do it Ha! Mine, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 I can do a sort of cool thing with word searches (which I haven't done since school, but boy was it useful in school) where I cross my eyes a little bit and think about the letter or combination of letters (no more than 2) that I want to find, and those letters jump out from the grid, then it is easy to scan for the right spot for the word. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Sorry, none. You know, I think this is just the kind of random reward that the Skinner Box teaches us causes us to keep coming back for more. Those who like puzzles must get enough of these to keep them interested. Other people simply don't enjoy puzzles. Yes, I think that is true. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 My husband does this thing with the number jumbler where he completes in roughly 5 seconds what would take me 1-2 minutes, minimum. Like, I haven't even really seen all the numbers yet and he has the answer. I am not that much worse at math than he is, so I am not sure why he is so much better - he has a faster processor, maybe. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 DH sort of can. Not every time, but enough to frustrate me. I'm the person who sits and tries every green piece in the first piece until one finally fits. It takes me forever to do a puzzle and I do not enjoy it anymore at all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 I can do a sort of cool thing with word searches (which I haven't done since school, but boy was it useful in school) where I cross my eyes a little bit and think about the letter or combination of letters (no more than 2) that I want to find, and those letters jump out from the grid, then it is easy to scan for the right spot for the word. Ah! Diffused focus. Yes! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes, it happens when the piece has the distinctive colours and shape I'm looking for. I know exactly where it goes because I'm looking for precisely these features. It's the pieces that are all blue that I hate. If you can pick up a regular shaped piece of all blue and put it exactly where it belongs, then you are indeed a puzzle master! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2017 Share Posted July 22, 2017 Yes, it happens when the piece has the distinctive colours and shape I'm looking for. I know exactly where it goes because I'm looking for precisely these features. It's the pieces that are all blue that I hate. If you can pick up a regular shaped piece of all blue and put it exactly where it belongs, then you are indeed a puzzle master! ;) Yeah, but the part that I find wild is when I am *not* looking for that piece. I'm looking for, say, something that goes in the pink flower pot on the lower right, but a yellow piece with a speck of grey turns up and I pull it out, knowing it is exactly the piece that goes to the window up in the left corner. And no, I can't say that happens much with solid-color pieces that fill a whole section. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 (edited) My husband does this thing with the number jumbler where he completes in roughly 5 seconds what would take me 1-2 minutes, minimum. Like, I haven't even really seen all the numbers yet and he has the answer. I am not that much worse at math than he is, so I am not sure why he is so much better - he has a faster processor, maybe. What's a number jumbler? Please give an example what you mean. TIA! Ah! Diffused focus. Yes! You say that as if that oxymoron makes perfect sense! I'm so confused! :confused1: Edited July 23, 2017 by RegGuheert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Yes, that happens to me. I am also freaky fast at word search puzzles. I always attributed that to having been trained in speed reading, wherein your eyes grab "batches" of words/letters rather than scanning line by line, left to right. I've never connected that with puzzle savantness, maybe it's a visual memory thing. It's a fun little Jedi trick for someone who can't impress others with physical prowess! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 yes, I do this with puzzles too. See a piece, put it in. DD can do it, DS cannot. DH cannot. It infuriates them when we do it. I'm also + good at word finds / spot the difference, hidden object type things. Alas, I know of no way to make money from this 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 What's a number jumbler? Please give an example what you mean. TIA! You say that as if that oxymoron makes perfect sense! I'm so confused! :confused1: 😄 Well, I actually should have said diffuse mode, not "diffused" focus, but I was referring to a mode of thinking described in Barbara Oakley's fascinating book "A Mind For Numbers". I am reading it now. It's wonderful. So, here's a quote from the book: Diffuse-mode thinking is what happens when you relax your attention and just let your mind wander...Diffuse-mode insights often flow from preliminary thinking that's been done in the focused mode." p.12. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 yes, I do this with puzzles too. See a piece, put it in. DD can do it, DS cannot. DH cannot. It infuriates them when we do it. I'm also + good at word finds / spot the difference, hidden object type things. Alas, I know of no way to make money from this It's interesting; I never really thought about the relationship of those different kind of puzzles, but I enjoy all of those types of things. I guess I have good visual descrimination (in pictures, but not with people's faces. In that arena, I have some sort of defect!) I love word searches. I always loved when we would get to do them for school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 My dd12 has a large puzzle set up right now. She's *almost annoying with this. I'm over her struggling to put ANY pieces in and she's looking at the box picking up random pieces and saying "I know where this goes"... (Fwiw, I'm this way too if it's a puzzle I've been staying at for awhile. Maybe it just comes with familiarity?) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 I have noticed it, yes. If I do a puzzle long enough I get very attuned to the fine variations in color and shape and eventually I get in the zone and things start to click. I do find it very rewarding. My mom does too. She's more into puzzles than I am, but I've been doing a lot this summer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Yes this happens to me often. My dh looks at me like an alien when I do it My kids wonder how I do it. They're jealous. 😄 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIN MOUSA Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 So does this happen to correspond to learning style? I'm pretty quick with puzzles, word searches, etc. (though maybe not "puzzle savant" level), and I always thought it was because I'm primarily a visual learner. But I also wonder about visual processing, because I stink at the alphabet game on road trips, I think mostly because my brain sees whole words and not individual letters? Not sure I've figured out my question or observation, just musing ... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 I can, because apparently Moms are graced with the unique ability to see something and know where it goes. It's akin to magic. Unless it's one of those ridiculous puzzles like a school of identical fish, then I'm out and bow to the masters. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 It's interesting; I never really thought about the relationship of those different kind of puzzles, but I enjoy all of those types of things. I guess I have good visual descrimination (in pictures, but not with people's faces. In that arena, I have some sort of defect!) I love word searches. I always loved when we would get to do them for school. hey me too (faces). I'm terrible at that. So does this happen to correspond to learning style? I'm pretty quick with puzzles, word searches, etc. (though maybe not "puzzle savant" level), and I always thought it was because I'm primarily a visual learner. But I also wonder about visual processing, because I stink at the alphabet game on road trips, I think mostly because my brain sees whole words and not individual letters? Not sure I've figured out my question or observation, just musing ... I am very much not a visual learner. I'm almost the complete opposite of a visual learner. I also rock alphabet type games, lol! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Yeah, but the part that I find wild is when I am *not* looking for that piece. I'm looking for, say, something that goes in the pink flower pot on the lower right, but a yellow piece with a speck of grey turns up and I pull it out, knowing it is exactly the piece that goes to the window up in the left corner. And no, I can't say that happens much with solid-color pieces that fill a whole section. Pattern recognition and looking for more than one part of a pattern or picture at a time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Yes. And as a matter of fact, my friend and I were just laughing last night about how our sons can look into the lego pit, aka, lego tupperware box containing approximately 5 million pieces, and just pluck out the desired obscure little bit they need.... but they can't open the pantry and find a can of tomatoes EVEN WHEN IT'S IN PLAIN SIGHT! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 I have moments of clarity and brightness until a child accidentally knocks down the entire card table containing the puzzle and then it's time to give up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Oh, and I'm not sure how visual the skill is actually. I love puzzles but have very poor eyesight (nearing legal blindness even with correction). I do jigsaws with my nose about 4 inches from the table. I'm convinced that I'm placing pieces by their shape rather than the image most of the time. I think jigsaws are actually a mix of so many different skills- visual yes, but also spatial, tactile... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegGuheert Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 And as a matter of fact, my friend and I were just laughing last night about how our sons can look into the lego pit, aka, lego tupperware box containing approximately 5 million pieces, and just pluck out the desired obscure little bit they need.... but they can't open the pantry and find a can of tomatoes EVEN WHEN IT'S IN PLAIN SIGHT! This is how tool boxes are with me. No matter which tool I am looking for in the box, it is the one I cannot see. So, how about Boggle? Do those of you who excel at word search puzzles also dominate in Boggle (particularly Big Boggle, with five cubes on a side)? I tend to dominate in my family and I have always been a fan of word search puzzles. That said, my niece puts me to shame in Big Boggle, so there is another level of play above mine. One thing I find peculiar about Boggle is that people tend to find different words depending on which side of the cube they happen to be on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 No, that doesn't happen with me! But then I don't do jigsaw puzzles very often. I am, however, known for always finding the missing pieces at the end. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 I have that more with word and number puzzles than pictures, though not as great as dh. I can also just glance at text, and typos jump out screaming at me. I can tell you one career that it is a boon in: computer programming. Being able to look over someone's shoulder and instantly see a bug is a great help teaching programming. I do have to step back a bit to find bugs in my own, maybe a form of diffuse focus? (As far as I'm concerned programming is just an advanced form of logic puzzle!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 I have noticed it, yes. If I do a puzzle long enough I get very attuned to the fine variations in color and shape and eventually I get in the zone and things start to click. I do find it very rewarding. My mom does too. She's more into puzzles than I am, but I've been doing a lot this summer. Yes, that's a good description for me, too. Even if there are three areas that all have one dominant color, I start to notice that they are not exactly the same shade of green or whatever and I can tell that *this* green is part of the car, but *this* green is part of the sign, even though at first they look like the same color. I have a funny story about puzzles and my mom. I gave her a puzzle to do; I think it was 1,500 pieces. She assembled it, and then a while later, gave it back to me so I could try it also. As she was handing it back to me, she said, "I separated out all the border pieces into a ziplock bag." I am looking at her blankly. She says, "Well, I thought it would be nice because finding the edges is a pain." I'm thinking, "Mom. If searching for a particular piece shape is a pain, why would I do a puzzle at all?" 😄 Moms are weird. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 I can, because apparently Moms are graced with the unique ability to see something and know where it goes. It's akin to magic. Unless it's one of those ridiculous puzzles like a school of identical fish, then I'm out and bow to the masters. Yeah, I have total disdain for those "impossipuzzles." The hell do I want to do with putting together a picture of four hundred red thumbtacks? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 This is how tool boxes are with me. No matter which tool I am looking for in the box, it is the one I cannot see. So, how about Boggle? Do those of you who excel at word search puzzles also dominate in Boggle (particularly Big Boggle, with five cubes on a side)? I tend to dominate in my family and I have always been a fan of word search puzzles. That said, my niece puts me to shame in Big Boggle, so there is another level of play above mine. One thing I find peculiar about Boggle is that people tend to find different words depending on which side of the cube they happen to be on. I have never played Boggle. I am good at Bananagrams, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Yes, that's a good description for me, too. Even if there are three areas that all have one dominant color, I start to notice that they are not exactly the same shade of green or whatever and I can tell that *this* green is part of the car, but *this* green is part of the sign, even though at first they look like the same color. I have a funny story about puzzles and my mom. I gave her a puzzle to do; I think it was 1,500 pieces. She assembled it, and then a while later, gave it back to me so I could try it also. As she was handing it back to me, she said, "I separated out all the border pieces into a ziplock bag." I am looking at her blankly. She says, "Well, I thought it would be nice because finding the edges is a pain." I'm thinking, "Mom. If searching for a particular piece shape is a pain, why would I do a puzzle at all?" 😄 Moms are weird. Our neighbors, an elderly couple, enjoy doing jigsaws together. And they also save the edge pieces in a bag to make it easier the next time around! For really large puzzles, they also save each quadrant into a bag for next time. It also causes me to scratch my head because... isn't the whole point of puzzles the challenge of sorting? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 My 21 year old is a whiz at puzzles. Often she can put pieces in place as fast as she picks them up. The thing is she is cognitively impaired. She struggles in a lot of areas but she loves puzzles and is great at them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 Our neighbors, an elderly couple, enjoy doing jigsaws together. And they also save the edge pieces in a bag to make it easier the next time around! For really large puzzles, they also save each quadrant into a bag for next time. It also causes me to scratch my head because... isn't the whole point of puzzles the challenge of sorting? Yes! Exactly! It became a meme in my head, "I put the puzzle together and glued it solved, so you wouldn't have to go to the trouble of putting it together again." 😆 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 What about those all white jigsaw puzzles? Are they as easy to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 What's a number jumbler? Please give an example what you mean. TIA! You say that as if that oxymoron makes perfect sense! I'm so confused! :confused1: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18029/number-jumbler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted July 23, 2017 Share Posted July 23, 2017 My brother used to do jig saw puzzles upsidedown... you know, with the brown backside up. I remember soending my own money on a 1000 or so piece puzzle, a challenging one. I did a bunch and went to bed. He finished it while I was asleep.... Oh I was SO MAD. He thought it was just helping me. Argh! Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 My brother used to do jig saw puzzles upsidedown... you know, with the brown backside up. I remember soending my own money on a 1000 or so piece puzzle, a challenging one. I did a bunch and went to bed. He finished it while I was asleep.... Oh I was SO MAD. He thought it was just helping me. Argh! Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk Ha! That's funny, because I just left my puzzle; it is about 85% completed. I was thinking, "If one of these kids comes in here and finishes the puzzle while I'm upstairs reading, I'm going to be so mad..." I want the payoff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Ha! That's funny, because I just left my puzzle; it is about 85% completed. I was thinking, "If one of these kids comes in here and finishes the puzzle while I'm upstairs reading, I'm going to be so mad..." I want the payoff! We used to always try to be the one to put in the last piece of the puzzle. About a year ago, I had to go to work with my puzzle, one I'd been working on mostly by myself for a couple weeks, nearly solved, and my boys finished it for me just to be stinkers. I was a little miffed. Then they did it to the next puzzle too! Augh! But they laughed at themselves and at me so much that it made ME laugh, and it has turned into a thing....now I deliberately leave my puzzles unfinished so they can get my goat by finishing them. Silly little game, and by now they've cottoned on, but it's still fun. Rotten kids. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 We used to always try to be the one to put in the last piece of the puzzle. About a year ago, I had to go to work with my puzzle, one I'd been working on mostly by myself for a couple weeks, nearly solved, and my boys finished it for me just to be stinkers. I was a little miffed. Then they did it to the next puzzle too! Augh! But they laughed at themselves and at me so much that it made ME laugh, and it has turned into a thing....now I deliberately leave my puzzles unfinished so they can get my goat by finishing them. Silly little game, and by now they've cottoned on, but it's still fun. Rotten kids. Well, at least it's good for their brains! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Ha! That's funny, because I just left my puzzle; it is about 85% completed. I was thinking, "If one of these kids comes in here and finishes the puzzle while I'm upstairs reading, I'm going to be so mad..." I want the payoff! My kids all know they would be in BIG trouble if they put in the last piece! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Yes, that happens to me, too, and I am curious about that. I love jigsaw puzzles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I have that ability also. My family has for decades called me "the puzzle queen." :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 I love puzzles but I can't find a place in the house where I can sit comfortably and do them. Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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