When we carry out an undemanding task, the brain tends to wander, and it is precisely at that moment that creativity begins to sprout. On this basis, researchers at the University of Virginia (USA) have discovered the reason why the shower serves not only as a source of water but also as a source of good ideas.
The research that has analyzed this curious revelation while we clean has been published in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts and is based on an earlier study from 2012 that had linked disconnection and a pleasant load as possible responsible for inspiration .
The people who participated in the study had to think of creative alternative uses for a brick and a clip, all while watching a boring and an interesting video, then they had to present their ideas. It was found that the lower the mental demand required, the more creativity the participants demonstrated.
The less mental demand, the greater creativity
A possible explanation for this could be in the default mode network of the human brain, which is responsible for regulating brain activity when taking a break after spending a long time thinking about a problem. This could be a natural way for the mind to receive inspiration in that moment of relaxation, thus being able to come up with possible solutions.
“People often seem to generate creative ideas during moderately engaging activities, such as taking a shower or walking.”
Something similar happens when we take a shower, the brain connections work without pressure and automatically based on past experiences and acquired knowledge, therefore, it is more common that it is at that moment when the problems raised are solved.
“People often seem to generate creative ideas during moderately engaging activities, like taking a shower or walking. One explanation for this shower effect is that generating creative ideas requires a balance between focused, linear thinking (which limits originality) and unlimited, random associations (which are rarely helpful). Activities such as walking can help us achieve this balance by allowing the mind to wander in an attractive environment that imposes some restrictions on thinking, ”the authors explain in the study.
What the researchers really wanted to know was whether mind-wandering helped them be more creative, based on whether the task was boring or engaging. The conclusion they reached indicated that mental distraction helped, but only sometimes, since wandering should not be confused with distraction, as they are different terms.
“While the researchers may never study showering per se, for obvious reasons, they said they intend to continue to expand video viewing. One of his future projects, for example, will use virtual reality to study the wandering mind in realistic contexts, such as walking through the streets of a city”, they conclude in the study.
.
