I definitely agree with this sentiment. Recently someone dropped by for a job interview and revealed how much he loved to solve puzzles. Not that this influence

I definitely agree with this sentiment. Recently someone dropped by for a job interview and revealed how much he loved to solve puzzles. Not that this influenced my decision in any way, but it made me reflect how different I felt w.r.t. this. For me, it is not design either, it is something different. I hate puzzles that are created by other people, where you have to follow the "hidden variable" which is in that case the brain of the maker of the puzzle. They already know the solution! I feel utterly useless solving a puzzle that has been already solved thousands of times by others. What's the point!? After 3 sudoku games I'm done with them. The same with IQ tests on national television. Why would I feel any reward in being able to crawl into the brain of a television writer concocting questions for a general audience? I think there are many much more interesting people in the world, than these guys. Their "puzzles" suck. I also have never enjoyed solving mathematical problems in text books. I love math, and I read a lot of text books, although university is years ago. I think for people like me there should be different ways to teach them. What makes me going is to find new things that haven't been known before. After I get some understanding of a field, I love to make up my own problems and solve these. The boundaries of such a problem are vague, it is not even known if it can be solved, but I am happy. Even if it turns out that I solve something that has been solved in the 13th century, I can't care less. This is just a personal story, but perhaps someone can relate.