It happens to all of us. You’re struggling with a problem that feels unsolvable and then somewhere between shampoo and conditioner, you find the answer in the shower. Or, that perfect social media quip comes to mind.
For some reason, when we step away from an issue, and especially when we’re doing something mindless like showering, we can find a creative solution. Researchers at the University of Virginia call it “the shower effect” and contend that it’s a real phenomenon.
“Creative idea generation requires that one strikes a balance between focused, linear thinking – which limits originality – and unbounded, random associations – which are often irrelevant to our creative problems,” write the study authors.
Researchers found that mildly engaging tasks like showering or walking can produce the most creativity in the recent study published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. The balance between focus and ...
