Explorers, Detectives, Matchmakers, and Lion Tamers: Understanding Jigsaw Puzzlers' Techniques and Motivations.

Why do people enjoy jigsaw puzzles, which-challenging and time-consuming as they are-might be considered more like work than play? The author investigates the motivations, preferences, and satisfactions of individuals working on jigsaw puzzles, and she explores how these elements of play relate to the procedures and strategies puzzlers use to assemble their jigsaws. She identifies four general approaches to completing these puzzles: the Explorer, Detective, Matchmaker, and Lion Tamer. She then describes how those who use these approaches differ in their openness to serendipity and flexibility, their attraction to the aesthetics of the puzzle picture, the degree of difficulty they embrace, and their relative interest in the process of puzzle assembly or in producing a finished puzzle. She concludes that the study of jigsaw puzzling helps us better understand leisure activities in general by allowing us more effectively to distinguish serious from casual leisure, explore the relationship of work to play, assess the importance of rules, investigate the relationship between product and process in play, and identify some of the intrinsic rewards that motivate play. Key words: sociology of leisure, jigsaw puzzles, play, motivationJigsaw puzzles as a leisure-time activity dates back to the mid-1700s (Wil- liams 2004). Although their use has ebbed and flowed since then, they remain popular today. Contemporary jigsaw puzzles typically have a square or rectan- gular picture glued to cardboard backing, although many variations of puzzle shapes, materials, and sizes exist (Burns and Burns 2002; DeCristoforo 1990; Nemy 1966). Manufacturers cut the picture into pieces of many shapes and patterns, such as regularly shaped interlocking pieces, irregularly shaped pieces, or geometric patterns (Williams 2004). Designers produce jigsaw puzzles for people of all ages. Many educators believe that these puzzles benefit childhood development (e.g., Petroski 2003; Weber 1979) and improve mental acuity in adults (e.g., Recer 2001). Some people engage in jigsaw-puzzle competitions, but most consider puzzling a solitary leisure-time activity or at best one they share with family and friends (Drabble 2009; Williams 2004).As Williams notes, puzzlers differ in their approaches to assembling puzzles, in the rules and procedures they set for themselves, and in the level of difficulty they prefer. A challenging task, completing a jigsaw puzzle consumes time and, in the effort required, resembles many jobs, though no one gets paid for doing jigsaw puzzles. Indeed, the tasks involved (sorting, classifying, searching, com- paring, and testing) are the same as those found at many work sites, and the personal qualities needed to finish the puzzle (patience, diligence, concentration) resemble those required in a number of professions. Given, then, the amount of work involved, why do some people find this leisure activity-this "recreational" work of assembling jigsaw puzzles-interesting, intrinsically motivating, and fun? Where does the boundary between work and play lie?While completing jigsaw puzzles always involves the transformation of a chaotic and random set of pieces into an ordered, completed picture, puzzlers differ in their attitudes toward chaos and order. Some puzzlers engage in and enjoy the random aspects of puzzles and welcome serendipity and flexibility; others appreciate structure and routine. These differences affect puzzlers' enjoy- ment of puzzles and how they complete them. Some prefer simple puzzles and straightforward techniques for putting them together (such as laying out all the pieces face up on the table, assembling the outermost pieces that define the perimeter or edge of the puzzle then working on the interior pieces), and oth- ers-reveling in complexity and challenge-try to maximize the difficulty (by completing a puzzle with the pieces turned upside down, for example, or mixing together several puzzles and completing them all at once). …