Did You Know? Shower Thoughts Are Proven to Boost Creative Ideas

Running out of ideas? Take a shower.

This might seem like a random suggestion, but we have science to back us up. Not too long ago, cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman PhD conducted a study commissioned by Hansgrohe, a German bathroom company. After gathering the survey results, Kaufman found that 72% of people get new ideas in the shower.

Deputy CEO of Hansgrohe SE Richard Grohe commented that Kaufman’s study “suggests that the sensation of the water’s spray combined with the tranquillity of the showering ritual may help free the brain and stimulate fresh thinking.”

“The calm, solitary and non-judgmental shower environment may afford creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander freely and may cause people to be more open to their inner stream of consciousness and daydreams,” he added.

Also read: These Are the 15 Dirtiest Surfaces in Your Home — Make Sure to Clean Them Often

Shower thoughts: What are they, exactly?

Even before Kaufman’s study, people have long picked up the concept of shower thoughts. In fact, Reddit has its own subreddit dedicated to “sharing those miniature epiphanies you have that highlight the oddities within the familiar.”

Also read: 7 Things You Need to Turn Your Room Into a Spa

In the Showerthoughts subreddit, people post all sorts of ideas — from crazy to profound (but mostly both). To give you a picture of how this online community actually works, here are the top posts of all time, as of writing:

• “Whoever created the tradition of not seeing the bride in the wedding dress beforehand saved countless husbands everywhere from hours of dress shopping and will forever be a hero to all men.” — Yorkshire45
• “We laugh at dogs getting excited when they hear a bark on TV, but if [the] TV was a nonstop stream of unintelligible noises and then someone suddenly spoke to you in your language, you’d be pretty […] startled too.” — Biles
• “When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.” — zjb55446

The genius shower thoughts continue as you scroll down the subreddit. As you read along, you might even find one or two thoughts you resonate with. 

Also read: FYI, Those Useless Emails in Your Inbox Are Actually Bad for the Environment

Plausibly speaking, Showerthoughts is a mere microcosm of the rest of the world. This shows that every human has creative potential, as long as we take mindful showers regularly. So whether you’re gearing up for your next meeting or thinking of what to do for your quarantine project, remember to take a shower first.

All images credited to isuaneye via Canva Pro.