Shower thoughts. It’s a term we are all likely familiar with, coming across the term being used at least once, maybe twice. But what exactly is a shower thought? In Collins Dictionary, a ‘shower thought’ has the definition of ‘a sudden idea that occurs to a person during an unconnected mundane activity.’
So, going off this definition, a shower thought doesn’t only occur in the shower, but rather any activity that could be deemed as humdrum, dull or tedious. Other examples of instances a shower thought could be triggered are on a long drive, during a daily chore, a simple walk and so on.
The Science
You might have wondered what the science is behind shower thoughts. It can’t be a coincidence that we are all having these miraculous and sometimes genius thoughts in the shower, right?
The science behind this phenomenon is quite simple. During our everyday lives, our brain is hard at work, focusing on whatever the task at hand is, such as cooking, working, exercising, etc. But as soon as we step in the shower, our brain doesn’t have to work so hard, we all know how to shower – we’ve done it plenty of times, we know where the soap, shampoo and conditioner are and what it is we need to do.
In short, there’s nothing to focus on. In the shower, we can’t have our eyes trained on a smartphone, switching between apps, liking and commenting on various social media posts, no one else is around, it’s just you and the sound and feeling of falling water.
During this time, our prefrontal cortex is relaxed (this is the part of the brain that is responsible for our conscious thinking). At the same time, the rest of our brain is still going, this is where those sudden eureka thoughts come in. Partnering this with the dopamine being released into our brains, courtesy of the nice-feeling shower sparks an increase in creative thinking.
The Power of Social Media
The phenomenon that is shower thoughts has become more widely known thanks to social media. Online, people have been able to share their own shower thoughts and tell others of their favourites they have heard from other people.
These mentions on social media range from hilarious realisations to thought-provoking statements.
Taking a visit to Reddit, you can find the subreddit ‘r/Showerthoughts’ which has a staggering member count of over 25 million, 25,086,286 members at the time of writing this, to be exact. On TikTok, the hashtag ‘#showerthoughts has an unbelievable 5.8 billion views across the social media platform.
In Conclusion
To sum up, showers are good for more than just getting clean. As it turns out, they are actually the best place to get thinking creatively. So, next time you have something playing on your mind, trying to remember where you left something or there’s a problem you just can’t solve, hop in the shower.
Make sure you’re having your shower thoughts in a bathroom you love. Not sure where to start? Get in touch with us today so we can get you the bathroom (and shower) of your dreams.
