Why your best ideas happen in the shower
Photos EON Productions
Words Anthony Vincent
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Do you find that your best ideas come to you while taking a shower? Us too. Here's why.
When you’re diligently scrubbing your armpits, does the perfect birthday gift idea for a loved one suddenly swim into your mind? The exotic or refreshing scent of your shower gel could be playing a role in these revelations. According to research, the mind’s wandering and the physical sensations experienced in the shower contribute to bursts of insight.
Let your mind wander
"When we take time off from working on a problem, we change what we’re doing and our context, and this can activate different areas of our brain. If the answer wasn’t in the part of the brain we were using, it might be in another." explained R. Keith Sawyer, American researcher and author of the essay "Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation, in a January 2006 article in Time magazine. Often by shifting your focus away from a problem, you find a solution as a direct result of allowing your mind to wander.
Relax, the ideas will come
According to another creativity expert, the more pleasure you derive from something, the more likely your ideas are to flow. Neuroscientist Alice Flaherty, cited by Buffer media in February 2013, states that “the more dopamine that’s released, the more creative we are." A great excuse to switch up your routine or try a new scent of shower gel.
Meditation = creation
You can even enhance your creativity in the shower through meditation. Nancy O'Hara, a mindfulness teacher, shared her tips on how to transform your shower into a mindfulness session in The New York Times in May 2017. Her best advice? Keep your electronic devices as far away from the shower as possible to ensure a peaceful environment (and presumably to also not destroy your phone).
She advises that just before you get into the shower, think about the problem you're dealing with, then let it go as you step under the water, devoting your full awareness to the way it flows onto your body, the feel of the foam, and every small movement. You could try modifying your normal cleansing routine. Finally, dry off and try leaving the room even cleaner than you found it. It doesn't matter how long or at what time of day you shower; it's the feeling of bliss that counts.
While you don't have to follow this specific method, you could still try to influence your ideas by simply thinking about a problem when you’re under your shower. A change of environment and a relaxed body and mind might be enough to transform your bathroom into a brilliant ideas factory.
Some use a shower to mentally plan their upcoming day like Matthieu, to sing like Jérémy Chatelain, to reflect on the meaning of gravity, like Alexandre Thomas, or to take stock of the day and energize the body, for those who like to wash up in the evening.
So it would seem that "eureka" lies behind the shower curtain, provided you let your mind roam and find a little pleasure in mindful awareness. Now it’s over to you - what problem will your next shower solve for you?