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The moment the steaming water hit my face this morning, I started to have what’s known as “shower thoughts.” You know, those little epiphanies that occur when your brain is occupied with something else, and you suddenly realize for example: “Wow, nothing is on fire, fire is on things.”
I don’t know about you, but I also win many imaginary arguments in the shower too, “And another thing Karen, I don’t think it’s my job to restock the printer. You’re not the boss of me” I scream in my head.
Yes, lathering up can really get you lathered up. It even occurs to me that someone is probably having an argument with me in their shower right now and, horror of horrors, they’re probably winning. Shower thoughts, shower arguments — why is our best thinking done when we’re wet, naked, and covered in soap? There are a few reasons, as it turns out. Let’s take a look.
Relaxation
When we have a relaxed state of mind, we’re more likely to turn our attention inwards and make insightful connections. We are physically distracted, by the washing, shampooing and so on, which allows our active brains to take over and gives our subconscious brain time to work on problems more creatively. This feeling can also occur during exercise.
Dopamine
The release of dopamine, aka the ‘feel-good’ brain chemical, is essential for creativity. According to Alice Flaherty, a renowned neuroscientist researching creativity, “People vary in terms of their level of creative drive according to the activity of the dopamine pathways of the limbic system.” A warm shower can make us feel relaxed and happy, two things essential to thinking creatively.
No distractions
The lives we live today are full of distractions and interruptions. As I just typed that sentence, my phone lit up and I glanced away for a moment to see what had appeared — my T-Mobile bill is due for those who care.
Rarely do we find ourselves without some level of distraction, from phones, to people, to emails, to pets. It never ends.
Showering is one of the few moments in our day where we are free from technology and people. One of the few times where we are forced to be present and allow our minds to wander. With this freedom, our brains can start to tackle all of those thoughts and ideas we’ve placed on the back burner.
Are you wondering if your shower thoughts are normal? On the internet forum Reddit there is actually an entire message thread dedicated to this very topic. Every day people share their most profound shower thoughts and we have collected the top 16 below for you to enjoy.
- “Waterboarding at Guantanamo Bay sounds super fun if you don’t know what either of those things are.”
- “The person who would proof read Hitler’s speeches was a grammar Nazi.”
- “When you drink alcohol you are just borrowing happiness from tomorrow.”
- “Go to bed, you’ll feel better in the morning” is the human version of “Did you turn it off and turn it back on again?”
- “The sinking of the Titanic must have been a miracle to the lobsters in the kitchen.”
- “What are snails even trying to do?”
- “Your shadow is a confirmation that light has traveled nearly 93 million miles unobstructed, only to be deprived of reaching the ground in the final few feet thanks to you.”
- “They should announce a sequel to Groundhog Day and then just re-release the original.”
- “I wonder what my dog named me?”
- “Everyday, someone on Earth unknowingly does the biggest poo in the world for that day.”
- “A group of squid should be called a squad.”
- “If Bruce Willis dies from Viagra overdose, the headline will read “Bruce Willis Dies Hard.”
- “In order to fall asleep, you have to pretend to be asleep.”
- “Most people can eat the same breakfast weeks in a row, without complaint. But the same dinner for weeks? Now, that’s just insanity.”
- “Cars should have two horns: one is a ‘nice’ one, the other is a ‘mean’ one.”
- “Emojis are the closest we’ve come to a universal language.”
