For Immediate Release:

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

lt;divgt;lt;img src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1200/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;div class="l"gt;lt;div class="l"gt;lt;span class="l"gt;lt;/spangt;lt;sectiongt;lt;divgt;lt;div class="fr gi gj gk gl gm"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;div class="gx gy gz ha hb"gt;lt;div class="ab ca"gt;lt;div class="ch bg fz ga gb gc"gt;lt;divgt;lt;div class="ib ic id ie if"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;p id="705b" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Showering may be your "secret sauce" to opening up your creativity, as research has shown.lt;/pgt;lt;figure class="nq nr ns nt nu nv nn no paragraph-image"gt;lt;div role="button" tabindex="0" class="nw nx fi ny bg nz"gt;lt;div class="nn no np"gt;lt;picturegt;lt;source "https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:720/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 720w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 750w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 786w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 828w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 1100w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 1400w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" type="image/webp"gt;lt;source data-testid="og" "https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:720/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 720w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 750w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 786w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 828w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 1100w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*zhpHm3ldivxmnRUoyCpX7Q.jpeg 1400w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"gt;lt;/picturegt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;figcaption class="ob fe gt nn no oc od be b bf z dt"gt;Photo by lt;a class="af oe" href="https://unsplash.com/@sxth?utm_content=creditCopyTextamp;amp;utm_medium=referralamp;amp;utm_source=unsplash" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Seth Doylelt;/agt; on lt;a class="af oe" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/high-angle-photography-of-woman-bathing-below-waterfalls-during-daytime-JI6LmWtGHf4?utm_content=creditCopyTextamp;amp;utm_medium=referralamp;amp;utm_source=unsplash" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Unsplashlt;/agt;lt;/figcaptiongt;lt;/figuregt;lt;p id="2fc9" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Have you ever showered and suddenly had some great ideas come to mind? Or maybe you're not thinking of anything at all, and then something pops into your head. You are not alone. Research supports showering, which engages incredible resources tucked away in your brain and permits their release once you step into that shower.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="7958" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Should executives have showers in their offices? It sounds strange, but there are executive offices where the CEO has a complete, lovely walk-in shower available to them, possibly not just for personal hygiene but for creativity. It's also a wonderful tension reliever and produces those "aha" moments. However, the shower isn't the only place that can spark your creativity. First, let's take a look at several things that we know about showering from research that has brought it to our attention.lt;/pgt;lt;ol classgt;lt;li id="63a8" class="mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm of og oh bj"gt;Showering can reduce and lessen stress. When you are in the shower with that warm or cool water gently coming over your body, you are in a totally different environment from your normal one. This lack of usual environmental stimuli or stress allows you the freedom to have that floating mind that is receptive to creativity. Showering brings together divergent ideas and concepts, but we're not exactly sure about the mechanism. That is, of course, we do know that lt;em class="oi"gt;stress reduction is one way it produces this magiclt;/emgt;. So, it has a positive effect that broadens your attention and promotes problem-solving creativity. It doesn't matter if you are working on a project you want to develop something new, or you're writing articles or short stories. The shower is your friend.lt;/ligt;lt;li id="3274" class="mp mq he mr b ms oj mu mv mw ok my mz na ol nc nd ne om ng nh ni on nk nl nm of og oh bj"gt;While showering, lt;em class="oi"gt;you have one thing to do: washlt;/emgt;. Performing that simple action allows you freedom from other distractions and produces lt;em class="oi"gt;creative mind wanderinglt;/emgt;. Researchers call this the "lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;incubationlt;/stronggt;" process that lt;em class="oi"gt;works in the background as you shower.lt;/emgt; Novelty is also given free rein during this period, and lt;em class="oi"gt;your mind can assemble things differentlylt;/emgt;. No, you don't have to give yourself a problem to solve before you step into the shower because that might interfere with your normal routine. Free yourself from your environment and lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;immerse yourself in showeringlt;/stronggt;. It will happen, and you may be quite surprised.lt;/ligt;lt;li id="1aca" class="mp mq he mr b ms oj mu mv mw ok my mz na ol nc nd ne om ng nh ni on nk nl nm of og oh bj"gt;lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115159" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;Neurotransmitters, lt;/stronggt;specifically dopaminelt;/agt;, associated withlt;em class="oi"gt; pleasure and motivationlt;/emgt;, are triggered and lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;released during a showerlt;/stronggt;. In this way, it provides lt;em class="oi"gt;an intangible reward,lt;/emgt; resulting in creativity. The relationship between dopamine and creativity has been a research subject. It continues to interest scientists, so take advantage of what they are producing and lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;put it to use for yoult;/stronggt;.lt;/ligt;lt;li id="33cf" class="mp mq he mr b ms oj mu mv mw ok my mz na ol nc nd ne om ng nh ni on nk nl nm of og oh bj"gt;lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810014000476?via=ihub=" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;Distractionslt;/stronggt; are one of the primary reasonslt;/agt; that creativity is inhibited. Showering removes these and allows you to float ideas as the soap floats over your body. Removinglt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-10616-3" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt; external stimulilt;/stronggt;lt;/agt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt; lt;/stronggt;allows your mind to explore new concepts and ideas.lt;/ligt;lt;/olgt;lt;figure class="nq nr ns nt nu nv"gt;lt;div class="oo op l fi"gt;lt;div class="oq or l"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/figuregt;lt;p id="94a2" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;5. Showering also involves lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-handbook-of-the-imagination/evocation-how-mental-imagery-spans-across-the-senses/F4C56876776177E426C20EE8BB1388B9" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;sensory stimulationlt;/stronggt;lt;/agt; with a sponge, cloth, or hand, and lt;em class="oi"gt;even the lt;/emgt;lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sound-baths" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;lt;em class="oi"gt;sound of the waterlt;/emgt;lt;/agt; can promote a lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;state of mindfulnesslt;/stronggt;, which we know is comforting and creative. Research has shown that lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00116/full" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;mindfulness alone can aid creativitylt;/agt;, so showering provides multiple methods toward achieving your creative goals.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="a51f" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;6. Getting into the shower can also lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;change your moodlt;/stronggt;. lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;Heightened positive moods lt;/stronggt;are also intrinsic to creativity and problem-solving. A good mood also lt;em class="oi"gt;facilitates flexibility in thinkinglt;/emgt; and can produce innovative ideas.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="b5c0" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115154" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;7. The combinationlt;/agt; of lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;relaxation, freedom from distraction, dopamine release, and sensory stimulationlt;/stronggt; work to your benefit. Think how simple that is and how valuable it can be to you in your life, lt;em class="oi"gt;whether personally or professionally.lt;/emgt;lt;/pgt;lt;p id="1c14" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;The shower may be a creativity incubator, but it isn't the only place where creative breakthroughs may occur. Anytime the lt;em class="oi"gt;combination of relaxation, reduced stress, increased mind wandering, and minimization of distractionlt;/emgt; is present, you are fertile for creativity.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="e08c" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Where else might that be? You can sit on a park bench, walk in a forest, or even shop for groceries. If you have some distraction and freedom from stress, you can be creative, even doing parochial activities like grocery shopping with a list.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="79ab" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;One thing you want to do, and that I have noticed some researchers and authors do, is to have a special waterproof writing tablet in the shower. This allows you to jot down ideas before they slip away. Another thing that people do is to have a small digital tape recorder with them at all times so that they can collect these ideas or even an app on their cell phone.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="eb99" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;If you take a bus or a train to work regularly, and it goes over the same route every day, you can lt;em class="oi"gt;easily engage in mind wanderinglt;/emgt; as you sit in your seat and look out the window. These are excellent areas to use, so don't forget to incorporate them into your creativity.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="0ce4" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Is showering multitasking? No, it's mindlesstasking. Yes, I know I just invented that word. but the whole idea here is that you're going to shower every day anyway, so why not benefit from all those wonderful things it provides besides smelling good?lt;/pgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/sectiongt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;