Why Do We Get Our Best Ideas in The Shower?

Let’s take a second to pretend I’m in the shower right now. I know, you’ve always wanted tickets. There’s my rubber ducky. And there’s my loofa! BAM! I just had an epiphany! E=Mc squared! There’s a hole in the ozone layer! Entropy can be created but not destroyed! I’m a smart person now. Hi, I’m William Haynes. You ever notice how you probably seem to get your best ideas, or do you best thinking while you’re in the shower? Well that’s because science. The human brain when awake produces enough electricity to power a 40-watt light bulb! But by the time you exit that haven of thought the idea vanishes. It turns out all people receive these types of inner-renaissances but not just from showering. Apparently when your brain is preoccupied by a menial task like a long drive, a short walk or even doing some simple gardening you’ve created the right environment of activity for something called free association. Neutron stars can spin at a rate of 600 rotations per second! Psychologists have a theory that describes these types of mental states as something called the Default Mode Network. As John Kouinos a psychologist who studies creativity and distraction told Wired, “You become less aware of your environment and more aware of your internal thoughts.” Which makes it sound all deep. Now I feel like I should be loving myself. Apparently when your brain is working on a problem, it focuses on just a few strategies. According to psychologists these are like “ruts” that your mental wheels get stuck in. If you want to have a good idea you should take breaks so those thought patterns no longer take control of your thinking. This is also a good reason to do your favorite thing: mindlessly scroll the internet. Or take a walk, be healthy. The ocean is blue because water absorbs colors in the red part of the light spectrum leaving only blue! So that’s why your brain does these things better in the shower and when you least expect it to. Do you ever come up with cool things in the shower? Start taking shorter showers. California’s in a drought right now, geeze. I’m William Haynes. You can see me say other things at SourceFed. Thanks for watching.