VIDEO: Expert explains why you shouldn't listen to music in the shower
It's time to stop singing to show tunes in the shower!
Music brings so much joy to our lives and truly provides a soundtrack to our lives.
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You might blast your favourite albums while cleaning the house, create a playlist (or mix tape) for someone special or love watching your favourite performers live.
Many people will also tell you they like to listen to music in the shower or bath, because who doesn't enjoy singing in the shower?
You can even purchase a shower radio if you don't want your phone or speaker so close to water.
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If you are someone who enjoys popping on some tunes before popping in the shower, we might have some bad news.
According to New York Times bestselling author and leading happiness scholar Gretchen Rubin, you should not be listening to music, podcasts or anything else while showering or bathing.
Rubin recently appeared on the mindbodygreen podcast with founder Jason Wachob, where she discussed the importance of boredom.
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You might be limiting your creativity through constant mental stimulation.
In the video below, Rubin explains that she is fascinated by boredom.
It's when I'm bored that I have big insights because my brain is open and trying to entertain itself. I don't know that I would have a brilliant insight if I walked around listening to a podcast. As much as I love listening to podcasts, I would have been thinking about whatever the podcast was about.
This might sound slightly overdramatic, but there is research to back it up.
In a study called, 'Does Being Bored Make Us More Creative?', researchers asked participants to copy phone numbers from a phone book for 15 minutes. This would stimulate boredom.
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After they had completed this task, they were asked to come up with different uses for a pair of cups. This would give them a chance to display their creativity.
The results showed that the control group produced fewer creative ideas for the pair of cups than the "bored" group.
The researchers thus theorised that the "bored" group could daydream while completing their passive task, leading to more creativity.
This doesn't mean you must never listen to music or podcasts forever. Rubin only recommends allowing yourself time to wander your mind a little bit daily.
You need this open-searching time in order for new ideas to bubble up. This is why people get ideas in the shower or in the middle of the night—it's a downtime where then the brain creates its own fun.
This is just a simple reminder to be more conscious of how you stimulate and take care of your brain.
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