Have you ever wondered why your best ideas come to you in the shower? You’re not imagining it. It’s what’s known as the shower effect. Research led by Zachary Irving, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia, noted that people often seem to generate some of their best creative ideas during activities such as showering or walking.
Across two studies in 2022, Dr Irving and his team found mind wandering leads to more creative ideas, but only during moderately engaging activities. But what is it about these everyday activities that apparently unlocks our creativity?
According to Alan Pegna, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Queensland specializing in cognitive neuroscience and working as a clinical neuropsychologist, our brains have different modes of thinking that can impact our creativity. Divergent thinking, the sort that leads to our brilliant shower thoughts, can boost creativity by helping us think outside the box.
When you are in a situation, such as having a shower or going for a walk in the forest, you essentially stop being focused on a goal … [and] your mind starts to wander, Dr Pegna says. It’s this positive, constructive aspect of mind wandering — of positive daydreaming, if you like — that brings up ideas, and then suddenly associating things randomly and coming up with stuff that you haven’t thought of before.
From a young age, we are taught to learn through rote memorization and convergent thinking. However, in recent years, there has been a focus on developing the ability to think divergently. Dr Pegna believes that we should nurture our abilities to think outside the square and make more space for mind wandering.
When it comes to the concept of mind wandering, people often immediately think about what are perceived as ‘negative aspects’, such as ADHD, children who are unable to focus on their schoolwork, recurrent anxious thoughts, and pessimistic self-examination, Dr Pegna explains.
However, he points out that some aspects of mind wandering are healthy, and it’s important for humans to be able to divert their attention in that way. It allows ideas to incubate during periods of divergent thinking, sparking creativity and problem-solving.
Dr Pegna suggests that activities like taking a shower or going for a walk in nature create the perfect conditions for mind wandering. When we let our minds roam free, they race around and pick up on different things, mixing up ideas in unexpected ways.
So, the next time you find yourself struggling with a tricky problem or in need of a burst of creativity, consider stepping into the shower or taking a walk among nature. Embrace the power of mind wandering and let your ideas flow.
