HAS this ever happened to you? You step under the shower after a long day and turn on the faucet. Standing there as hot water washes over you and then suddenly, an idea strikes.
It could be a solution to a problem that has been bugging you all day or a new pitch for the next work meeting, perhaps even the perfect thing to have said during an argument you had a few hours ago.
Maybe you are an avid bathroom singer, belting out hits like you're Taylor Swift between the steamy streams and soapy lathers.
What is it about a nice hot shower? Does it actually get our creative juices flowing?
Verdict:
TRUE
One of the most important ingredients for creativity is being relaxed. A hot shower acts as a form of hydrotherapy and relaxes our muscles and body. Being warm-blooded, we humans also enjoy the sensation of external heat as it lowers our heart rate and blood pressure.
According to Dr Alice Flaherty, a neurologist, this environment of relaxation also provides the second ingredient for creativity - dopamine. This feel-good hormone brings us to a happy state where new and novel ideas are more probable.
Lastly, another important ingredient is the fact that we are distracted by the act of showering. The sound of the water melts away our troubles and helps our brains to stop fixating on the problems of the day. This is exactly what our subconscious minds need to step up and play a more prominent role in processing - and solving - whatever has been on our minds.
References:
https://buffer.com/resources/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
