You stare at a problem for twenty minutes. Nothing. Later, with wet hair and no pen nearby, your brain volunteers a solution.
The timing is inconvenient. The question behind it is fascinating: can stepping away help an idea develop?
The research behind the shower effect
A 2022 paper in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts explored mind wandering during moderately engaging activities, such as showering. Mind wandering was associated with more creative ideas. Read the University of Virginia explanation.
The useful idea is modest: showering occupies you without demanding all your attention and gives thoughts room to move. It is not a promise that every shower produces a breakthrough, but it's a promise of a chance.
Leave a little room for nothing
Next time you feel stuck, try stepping away from the screen. Take an ordinary shower without adding a podcast, a video, or a second task. Keep a notepad somewhere dry for afterward. There is no need to make the shower longer or hotter.
If a brilliant idea arrives, wonderful. If all you accomplish is getting clean and taking a break, the shower has still done its job.
