Why do we get great ideas in the shower?

Mar 18, 2025 5 min

About this episode

Have you ever noticed that you tend to have your best ideas in the shower? If so, you’re not alone! A 2014 study conducted by cognitive psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman found that 72% of people get creative ideas while showering. So it’s really not a coincidence. Science has shown that taking a shower is actually a perfect combination of a few factors which allow for optimal creativity. Struggling to solve a particularly complicated problem at work or in your studies? Need to come up with the perfect Christmas gift idea, or plan an event? Try jumping in the shower; you’d be surprised how often it’s more effective than continuing to grind away or hoping for a flash of inspiration. How can taking a shower boost creativity? Do hormones have anything to do with it? Does this state of mind have a name? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: What is bae-realing, the new dating trend? Why are Christmas adverts so moving? Could Mastodon replace Twitter? A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance. First broadcast: 4/12/22 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to this episode in English to learn English

Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. Why do we get great ideas in the shower? from Do you really know? gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.

In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.

Episodes to Learn English

More podcasts in English