Little research has been done on the use of games and puzzles provided for adults in waiting rooms.

Puzzles can be worked on by multiple people, over time, and the work is not "owned" by any given individual.

Puzzles provide the opportunity to further understand the role of perceived control in healthcare.

On a recent trip to my dentist’s office for a dental cleaning appointment, I was pleasantly surprised to see a puzzle on the coffee table in the center of the waiting room. The puzzle was being worked on by a patient waiting for her appointment. There was already progress on this 500-piece Halloween-themed puzzle; the borders had been completed. When I came back to the office for a follow-up appointment a week later, there was even more progress. And this time, two waiting patients, sitting across from each other, were actively engaged with the puzzle.

Puzzles are a form of positive distraction in waiting rooms and elsewhere. Positive distraction is one of three pivotal variables in Ulrich’s theory of supportive design (Ulrich, 1991). The other two variables are social support and perceived control. Social support refers to the idea that elements in the surroundings, such as furnishings, can support visiting friends and relatives (the concept is usually applied to in-patient settings). Perceived control refers to the idea that the setting offers opportunities for the individual to make changes to the environment (i.e., for........

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