the buzz log

To all those cynics who believe human beings are lazy creatures who'd rather let their brains rot than exercise them, we say this—you're mostly right. But there are plenty of exceptions. How else could we explain the popularity of puzzles in Search?

By definition, a puzzle is something that "baffles or confuses." Many folks apparently like the challenge, because puzzles are among our top 2,000 overall searches. Interestingly, while puzzles are popular across all age groups, women are far more interested in them than men. The ladies account for nearly 70% of the searches. Puzzling, no?

So, what sort of specific noodle-scratchers do people look for? We took a look at the top "puzzle" queries and found a surprisingly wide variety. Everything from the general "crossword puzzles" to the specific "bible puzzles," from the simple ("easy puzzles") to the diabolically difficult ("very hard word search puzzles"). Put on your thinking cap and examine the rest of the list...