20 Reasons Why People Get Their Best Ideas in the Shower

During the past 25 years, I've asked more than 10,000 people where and when they get their best ideas. I get all kinds of answers, but the one that has always fascinated me is "the shower" -- maybe because I also get so many of my good ideas there.
And so, at the risk of overstating my case, I hereby offer you 20 reasons WHY the shower is so conducive to new ideas.
1. Showering signals "a new day" or "new beginning."
2. You're usually alone, with time to reflect.
3. Interruptions are rare.
4. The rush of water creates a kind of "white noise" that makes concentration easier.
5. Shower stalls look like little incubation chambers.

6. Water is associated with "contemplation" (i.e. sitting near a river, lake, or ocean.)
7. Showering is a metaphor for "getting rid of the dirt" -- the stuff that covers up what's beneath.
8. Showering is a ritual. Lots of creative people like to have little rituals to get their head in the right place.
9. You can write your ideas on the walls with a water soluble pen.

10. There's not a lot of judgment or analysis going on in a shower.
11. A hot shower opens the pores -- and by extension, maybe the mind.
12. Showering wakes up you. It makes you more alert.
13. Showering is a relaxing and stress free experience. With nothing to stress about, your mind is free to roam new territories.
14. If you shampoo, you're massaging your head. That's gotta be good.
15. It's hard to check your iphone or Blackberry in a shower.
16. Albert Einstein also did his best thinking near a shower. ("Why is it I always get my best ideas while shaving?")
17. Water is associated with "flow." Being in the "flow state" is often a precursor to creative thinking.
18. There is no deliverable expected of you.
19. If you shower with a friend, and he/she happens to be in a brainstorming mode, lots of great ideas get sparked.
20. Showering is easy. Not a lot of thinking is required to make it happen, which frees your mind to think about other things.

Any other possibilities come to mind?
Another catalyst for great ideas.
Photo
Photo
Idea Champions
Photo

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at November 24, 2011 11:48 AM 

Showering is routine...no thinking is required to go through the familiar motions, leaving our mind free to wander. Similar to #8 but slightly different, I think.

Posted by: Lyn Hopper  at August 8, 2010 09:29 AM

Yes!
And we're not alone:
http://ask.metafilter.com/123879/Do-you-get-ideas-in-the-shower
I used to float around in a swimming pool and find solutions to big life challenges when I emerged, having just "let go" and not consciously even addressed them while in the water.
Someone suggested to me it had to do with negative ionization.
Thanks! Enjoyed the reminder!
Deneicy

Posted by: deneicy  at August 10, 2010 02:32 PM

Ha! The shower is my favorite place in the world to generate great ideas. Here's my tip of the day: I use waterproof paper to record my ideas. Otherwise they are history. If you want to try this out you can get paper at www.myaquanotes.com.