Five reasons why taking a daily shower increases your creativity

A number of Psychologists and Neuroscientists have published research on how, by simply taking a shower we can boost our creativity. That might explain why some of the top business people get their best ideas in the shower. It’s reported that one of Warren Buffet’s biggest investment decisions came to him whilst in the bathroom.

Several factors come together when taking a shower creating the perfect environment for flashes of creativity. Mark Fenske, coauthor of “The Winner’s Brain” says, “I sit in front of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and spend an embarrassing amount of time staring at the screen, then I get my best idea in the shower.”

Here are our top five reasons why taking a shower can increase your creativity:

1. No distractions. Taking a shower in the morning is probably the one and only time in your day that you’re not needing to respond to any demands, deadlines and interruptions that come from the day to day pressures of life and work. There’s no one else to listen to or talk with. We can’t use the phone in the shower, so we aren’t spending time scrolling through our social media feeds. Your thought process is therefore less likely to be interrupted. This means you have room to breathe and freedom to think. It gives you the space your mind needs for ideas to form.
2. Dopamine is released when we’re relaxed. Taking a shower is widely considered to be one of the most relaxing experiences. When we are relaxed it can create a dopamine high. Dopamine is a feel good chemical that helps motivate you and creates the right environment for creative thought.
3. The less focus on a problem allows other parts of our brain to work. When we’re trying to find a solution to something sometimes we can get stuck because our minds are focused too much on the problem. Mark Fenske says, “You need to be able to focus to shut off distractions, but sometimes you can focus too hard. You can get stuck on something that’s not helpful”. The more intensely we focus on creativity or coming up with solutions, the more evasive they might become. When we are in the shower the simple act of “shampooing hair and lathering up doesn’t take a lot of cognitive focus so other parts of the brain start to contribute.” Our minds wander and he says, “And that’s really critical for innovation.”
4. Taking a shower is allowed. Getting up in the morning and taking a shower is an integral part of our day. We don’t question its worth or importance to us, it’s a given, it’s what we do. We know we need to shower to keep fresh. When our working week is full, we’re rushing here and rushing there, this is the one part of our week that’s sacred. It’s a safe place. It’s where we know we are going to relax so it’s the one place where we give ourselves the freedom to be. Other activities we question whether it’s “worth our time”. Or ask “can we fit it into our schedule?” but not so with taking a shower. That is why taking a shower helps to boost our creativity because we’re allowing it to, we’re saying it’s a good thing. It’s an important part of our day.
5. It’s a great space to daydream. Where else in your day do you have the chance to dream the ‘what if’. It’s a private space where there is no one to challenge our ideas. We can be alone in our thoughts and see where our curiosity leads. Standing there under the shower we can relax into a realm of unlimited possibilities.

So if you are hoping for more eureka moments in the morning and want your showering experience to be as relaxing as possible, our smart shower technology makes it possible for each family member to set their own unique shower profile, including pre-selecting their perfect temperature setting and flow preferences, also helping you to track water usage. And because you can turn the shower on before you enter, it will be warmed to exactly the right temperature as soon as you step in. Helping to create the perfect environment for you to increase your creativity.