Science Explains Why Our Best Ideas Come in the Shower

Ever wonder why some of your best ideas seem to come out of the blue (while you're in the shower, for example)? Creativity, while seemingly a very vague activity, is actually a distinct process triggered by a few key factors.

Leo Widrich explains the science of creativity on the Buffer blog. Essentially, our brains give us our best ideas when:

  • A lot of dopamine is released in our brains. Triggers like exercising, listening to music, and, yes, taking a warm shower, contribute to increased dopamine flow.
  • We're relaxed. When we have a relaxed state of mind, we're more likely to turn attention inwards, able to make insightful connections. We've seen before how being drunk and sleepy are great for creativity.
  • We're distracted. Distraction gives our brains a break so our subconscious can work on a problem more creatively. (This is similar to John Cleese's advice to let your ideas bake.)

A dopamine high, relaxed state, and distracted mind: No wonder great ideas happen in the shower.

The most important lesson from this is to make sure you have a way to capture your ideas whenever and wherever they happen. If you're a think-in-the-shower kind of person, there's Aqua Notes.

Check out the full post on Buffer for more ideas on how to optimize your creative opportunities. Still not sure when creativity happens most often for you? Here's how to find your creative sweet spot.

Why we have our best ideas in the shower: The science of creativity | Buffer

Photo by Sergey Nivens (Shutterstock)