Body & Mind

This is why you always get your best ideas in the shower

By Sophie Rietmulder | #!31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:002731#31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:00-10Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam202331 20am31am-31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:0010Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam2023312023Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +02004510455amSaturday=9#!31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam5#05-20-2023#!31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:002731#/31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:00-10Europe/Amsterdam3131Europe/Amsterdam202331#!31Sat, 20 May 2023 10:45:27 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam5#

Have you been feeling uninspired for a while and feel like you're completely stuck when it comes to new, good ideas? Go take a shower! No, seriously. A new study explains that we get our best ideas when we are naked and wet, and you can imagine I wanted to know everything about this right away.

Although the shower may seem like a strange place for inspiration to strike, there is a good, scientifically backed reason for this phenomenon: DMN, or default mode network. It is a network in your brain that gets activated when the brain is at rest or when the mind wanders. This happens during usual activities that require very little attention, such as showering. Your brain is not specifically focused during your daily shower ritual, and thus all creative ideas, solutions, and suggestions flow naturally along with the water. This is also the reason why daydreamers are the most inventive and creative people.

Now I hear you thinking: my brain often goes into a passive mode (and honestly: same), what makes that shower such a refuge for creative ideas? It could be due to the following things:

Showering can be a meditative and relaxing experience. The warm water and soothing, splashing sounds can distract your brain and reduce stress and anxiety. When this happens, your brain relaxes and you feel free to wander, which can lead to ideas you wouldn't have had otherwise.

I love the shower because it is one of the few places where you can undoubtedly be completely alone. Since you have no one to distract you, you have free rein to let your thoughts reach as far as you want.
If you think about it, you've really showered a lot in your life. Do the math. Thirty years times one, sometimes two showers a day is... Well, a lot. So much that you probably don't even have to think about simple tasks like washing your hair and shaving your legs (or about the conscious choice not to shave your legs because it's the middle of winter and the only one who has seen you naked in the past few months is your cat). Anyway, because showering has become a collective talent and is a frequently repeated activity, the dopamine in our brains increases during showering, which makes us feel not only clean but also good and motivated. This then leads to, yes, new insights.

Did you know that new connections are actually being made in your brain while lathering up? This is because after a day of processing endless information, you finally have active time to not think. This helps in making new discoveries for which you haven't had space the rest of the day. Who would have thought that by not thinking, you're actually being very smart?

The conclusion of the story: never let anyone tell you that you shower too long. You are simply quietly working on your next steps towards conquering the world, and you’re going to smell great too. If that’s not a win-win.

Source: Poosh