Being in a Relaxed Setting Helps Creativity

 
Study Summary

People often seem to generate creative ideas during moderately engaging activities, such as showering or walking. One explanation of this shower effect is that creative idea generation requires a balance between focused, linear thinking (which limits originality) and unbounded, random associations (which are rarely useful). Activities like walking may help us strike this balance by allowing mind wandering in an engaging environment that places some constraints on thought.

 
Study Citation

Irving, Z. C., McGrath, C., Flynn, L., Glasser,, A., & Mills, C. (2022). The shower effect: Mind wandering facilitates creative incubation during moderately engaging activities. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. DOI: 10.1037/aca0000516