Ah, the shower. You use an all natural loofa to exfoliate, when all of a sudden, bam! You come up with a brilliant idea, or a solution to an issue you’ve been thinking about for some time.
Have you ever thought about why the best ideas occur to you in the shower? According to research, you are likely to be more creative when you do something monotonous such as bathing, fishing or exercising. Because these activities are “mindless” and don’t require much thought, your brain goes on autopilot, your unconscious begins to work and your mind goes wandering.
This kind of mind wandering relaxes what is known as the prefrontal cortex, which is the brain’s command center for decision-making and goals. When your prefrontal cortex loosens up, you make new, creative connections that you otherwise wouldn’t make if you were at work or doing something else.
At the office, you tend to think hard when a problem arises, which deactivates your prefrontal cortex. Thinking hard about something leads your brain to come up with a conventional, or uncreative, solution. The more you let your mind wander, such as in the shower, the more unconventional, or creative, solutions you’ll come up with.
A researcher at Harvard found that very creative people are ones that are easily distracted. That’s what happens in the shower – you become distracted and unfocused and your brain roams. That means by the time you rinse the lather off, your lightbulb switches on.
Now, you might be thinking – a boring office meeting causes me to daydream and lets my mind roam free, too. So what makes the shower so different? The difference is, the shower is relaxing. It’s your comfort zone, and you’re alone. When you’re relaxed, your brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Dopamine boosts your creative juices. There you go!
So the next time you use Cleo’s all natural loofa, lather up and let your creativity run wild!