Various hypotheses have come forth to explain why we have a disproportionate number of ideas and epiphanies in the shower. Explanations as varied as guessing that it's due to the aromatherapy of shampoos, or the brain soothing effect of warm water on our scalp.
I have a simpler explanation: It's one of the very few times when we actually disengage from the world and think. Lathering and rinsing tends to be a very automatic activity, and given that we don't have the option of reading the paper or browsing websites, we're forced to converse with, and be entertained by, our own mind.
A similar result can be experience on your daily commute (this
only really works if you drive by yourself, presuming that the
traffic isn't infuriating and distracting. I've found commuter
trains, buses and carpooling to have no such meditative effect, and
instead to be highly detrimental to thought): Turn off the
radio and just relax on the drive.
It is astounding how many decisions and ideas are resolved on a 30 minute commute in this island of tranquility. It is the activity closest to meditation in my daily schedule.
I generally commute on smooth flowing highways (e.g. the West 407, the 403 near Hamilton) full of daily commuters, so it is a stress-free, autonomous sort of driving. Sitting in gridlock on the QEW probably wouldn't be as conducive for the flow state of thought.
Alternately, when I used to go downtown everyday on the GO, the overcrowded, jostling piles of people made it impossible to focus, much less get into the flow of deep thought. I found the same experience on public transit.
The same is true for driving. I live outside of DC with terrible traffic. I am so used to driving in these conditions that I ended up having way to much productive thinking time. My solution? A heads up display so that I can watch TV on the go without taking my eyes off the road...
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Dennis Forbes is a Toronto-based software architect. While focused primarily on the .NET and SQL Server worlds, Dennis frequently ventures outside of this comfort zone into game development and image processing. He has been published in several industry magazines, has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and has been interviewed by NPR.He is a vice president and lead software architect at an innovative New York City hedge fund back-office services firm.
Dennis has been working on solutions for the financial, telecommunications, and power generation markets for over 15 years.