Monkeying Around with Connect-the-Dot Puzzles can Improve Responsibility Based on New Study

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Shirking responsibility can be good for your health, according to a new study recently published in the July issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Playing with puzzles and taking mental breaks may be the best way to deal with conflicting responsibilities.

Greatest Dot-to-Dot Books

Activities that engage the brain, like reading or crossword puzzles, may be an effective way to stop ruminating about daily stressors

Connect-the-dot puzzle publisher, Monkeying Around, is thrilled with a new study reported by the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. According to the recently published paper by PhD candidate Bonnie Hayden Cheng and Associate Professor Julie McCarthy, "jumping off" and occasionally turning your back on conflicting responsibilities may be the best way to deal with them. David Kalvitis, founder of Monkeying Around and puzzle creator extraordinaire, says, "I can't think of a better way to shirk responsibility and enhance your productivity than with The Greatest Dot-to-Dot books! That's why our company is called Monkeying Around!"

“Many people who visited our booth at the Rochester Corn Hill Arts Festival last weekend mentioned how they use our puzzles as a way of relaxing,” says Kalvitis. “We even had someone mention that she loves our books so much that they end up distracting her from house chores!”

Wishing problems disappear can be counterproductive, according to the paper by Cheng and McCarthy, that tracked 178 undergraduate students at University of Toronto. Thinking about a problem only creates a bigger problem, but when students took a mental break from responsibilities they had less stress and were physically and mentally able to tackle challenging situations. Activities that engage the brain, like reading or crossword puzzles, may be an effective way to stop ruminating about daily stressors, said Cheng.

According to one Monkeying Around fan, “I bought this book as something to take my mind off of college stresses and it worked! I like the different kinds of dot to dots. They weren’t just numbered, but there were codes and some without dots. I bought one for my husband too.”

Taking a "mental break" is beneficial for your productivity and your brain. Jeff Anderson author of Do Brain Games Live up to the Hype?, states that some traditional "mental stimulation" activities do keep the mind active, but where these traditional cognitive stimulation games fail, The Greatest Dot-to-Dots succeed! According to John Zeisel author of I'm still Here: A New Philosophy in Alzheimer's Care, "people need meaning and creativity in order to be stimulated", an endeavor Monkeying Around utilizes in the art of their puzzles. For example, when you finish a sudoku puzzle you are rewarded with a rather meaningless grid of numbers. With a follow the dot puzzle, you help create artwork that stimulates thoughts, memories and meaning that we all as people need.

     Kalvitis' Greatest Dot-to-Dot puzzle books skillfully utilize dots to create the most amazingly complex and artistic dot-to-dot puzzles to ever hit the market. Each book raises the connect the dot bar even higher, featuring storylines, new puzzle styles, interactive puzzles, and jaw-dropping foldouts making them more exciting than ever before for all ages.

For more information please visit http://www.monkeyingaround.com/

About Monkeying Around
Dot-to-dot publisher, Monkeying Around, was founded in 2000 by puzzle creator David Kalvitis. Kalvitis is a lifelong puzzle and game fan, has a Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University and previously operated a graphic design business in Upstate NY for 13 years. Since 2000, Monkeying Around has been dedicated to offering innovative dot-to-dot products that will delight and entertain children and adults of all ages. Monkeying Around produces "The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Books in the World," a challenging collection of unique dot-to-dot surprises and variations. The company also publishes "The Greatest Newspaper Dot-to-Dot Puzzles," pocket and travel sized collections of weekly syndicated puzzles, in the pages of USA newspapers. In 2007, the first of four "Greatest Dot-to-Dot Super Challenge” books was introduced. David Kalvitis is currently working on the next Greatest Dot-to-Dot Adventure Book.

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