Why do we have our best bathroom ideas? Science explains

Amidst the steam and foam, a good bath can relax not only the body, but also the body Mind _ mindand the release of streams personal pronounAnd clarity And Creativity.

Research shows that what’s known as the “shower effect” can also happen outside of the shower, and that many of our best ideas don’t happen at work or school, but rather As we live our days, with thoughts cuddled in the background.

In a 2019 study, 98 professional writers and 87 physicists recorded their most creative ideas each day, as well as what they were doing and thinking when they came up.

While most of the ideas occurred at work, 20% of the most important ideas came while they were doing something else – Like washing dishes or taking a shower. Notably, ideas that writers and physicists came up with off-duty times were self-rated as being as creative and important as those that emerged on the job.

It’s an amazing finding, said Jonathan Schooler, professor of psychology and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara and lead author of the study.

He said, “How many things can you do with the same success in the shower and at your desk?”

But these spontaneous ideas while bathing had another advantage: They were often instructive experiments—like Archimedes’ eureka in the bathtub—that broke through a creative dead end.

The “shower effect” in creativity is a product of mind wandering, where ideas are anywhere but at the task at hand.

Historically, researchers have focused on the negative effects of daydreaming, which can impair performance and has been linked to unhappiness.

But the nature of the regression is important. Schooler’s research found that people who hung out on something they cared about were happier than when they were on a task.

“Although wandering can be problematic, what I call a ‘mind wonder’, a kind of curious and fun wanderlust, can be really helpful,” Schooler said.

Its benefits appear to be relatively widespread. A study of over 1,100 people reported that their visionary moments occurred while poking around in the bathroom (30%), in traffic movement (13%) or during physical exercises (11%).

There is a ‘good point’ in the level of engagement of the activity and its effect on creative thinking: if it is not very attractive, it becomes boring; If she is very attractive, she leaves little interest to thoughts.

A study from last September reported that having spontaneous, free-flowing thoughts during moderate-but-not-dull activity boosted creativity.

More than 300 college students were tasked with creating as many new uses for common objects, like bricks or paper clips, as possible in 90 seconds. This is known as the Alternative Uses task, which tests creativity.

Then the students watched a boring video of two men hanging clothes or a more immersive clip of the famous breakfast scene. Harry and Sally – presented to each other. These activities allowed time for the participants’ ideas to incubate and for their minds to wander.

When the students were tested again, their mind-wandering led to more creative ideas, but only for those who watched the somewhat immersive movie scene.

An activity like a shower or a walk (or watching a romantic comedy video) “takes some attention and triggers thoughts, but it doesn’t take all of your attention, preventing you from paying attention to those creative thoughts,” said Zachary Irving, associate professor of philosophy of cognitive science at the University of Virginia and author of the study. in the background. the plan”.

Our ability to generate new ideas and to think creatively likely stems from our ‘default mode network’ (DMN). braina constellation of regions that become active when our thoughts turn inward, as when the mind wanders.

The DMN’s role in creativity has been considered interconnected, but a January 2022 study reported the first direct evidence that the DMN is associated with creative thinking.

The research involved 13 patients who underwent brain surgery to remove tumors. They had to be awake so surgeons could map the cerebral cortex with electrical stimulation, which inhibits a very specific area of ​​the brain for a short period of time, said Ben Schofte, a functional neurosurgeon and assistant professor at the University of Utah.

Patients were given an alternative uses task, listing unusual uses for common items. When surgeons stimulated an area of ​​the brain within the DMN, it temporarily shut down the patient’s ability to think creative thoughts.

At first, the patient created many creative uses for the frame—a pillow, a garden fountain, cut into pieces to make jewelry. But when the researchers electrically dampened parts of her DMN, she had a hard time thinking of new ways to use a pencil—”You can draw with it, you can draw cartoons, hmm, mostly drawing.”

Creativity “is an essential part of what makes us human. We use it all the time,” Schofte said. “So I think understanding this mechanism and how it works is very important for us to understand ourselves and what makes us human.”

– Take breaks. Take a walk or take a shower. This not only relieves Stressbut it can also help you access a different way of thinking.

– Ask for a change. Changing the environment can lead to new insights because it exposes our minds to new stimuli. But make sure it’s something moderately attractive. “We were in our clothes most of the day, and we didn’t have water running over our heads,” Schooler said. “So a simple change in experience can give bathrooms a special edge.”

– persist. Creativity, like a muscle, will improve with repetition, Schofte said.

– Think about what drives you into creative thinking mode. Irving suggests thinking about what your brain is doing during different activities so you can look for experiences that put your brain into a more creative state.

He said, “When I take a shower, do I stress the same things?” “Or am I at ease, my mind wandering?” / Translated by RENATO PRELORENTZOU