Have you ever noticed that your best ideas seem to arrive exactly when you've stopped looking for them?
Maybe it's in the shower. On a quiet walk. While driving home. Or just as you're drifting off to sleep.
Why is it we can spend hours staring at a screen trying to solve a problem, only for the answer to appear when we're shampooing our hair or making a cup of coffee?
Most people think this is coincidence.
I don't.
From a neuroscience perspective, these moments tell us something fascinating about how creativity really works. They reveal that creativity isn't something we simply switch on. Instead, it emerges when the brain is given the right conditions to think differently.
And this leads me on to what I think is the biggest misconception about creativity…
It isn't something that’s reserved for artists, musicians or writers. It isn't a personality trait that some people are born with and others simply don't have.
Creativity is a function of the brain.
Like attention, memory and decision-making, it depends on the way different neural systems interact with one another.
When those systems are constantly interrupted, overloaded or forced into survival mode, creative thinking becomes much harder.
But when they're given space, they begin to do something remarkable.
et’s look at the shower example…
What is it With The Shower And Good Ideas?
People often describe having their best ideas in the shower.
If we break this down, it’s not a coincidence.
The shower simply removes many of the things that compete for your attention during the rest of the day.
Think about what isn't happening while you're standing under warm water.
- You're not responding to emails.
- You're not checking notifications.
- You're not scrolling social media.
You're not jumping between meetings, answering questions, or trying to remember five different things at once.
For perhaps the first time all day, your brain isn't being asked to constantly react.
That matters more than most people realise.
Throughout the day, our brains are continuously processing information. Every message, notification, decision and conversation adds another layer to what neuroscientists call cognitive load—the total amount of mental effort required to process incoming information.
The higher your cognitive load, the fewer cognitive resources remain available for reflection, imagination and flexible thinking.
When you step into the shower, that load begins to decrease almost immediately.
Just as importantly, your physiology changes too.
Warm water repeatedly stimulates the skin, activating the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. The system responsible for rest, recovery and regulation.
Instead of preparing you to react, your nervous system begins to interpret the environment as safe.
- Your breathing slows.
- Your muscles relax.
- Your attention softens.
This shift is subtle, but it's incredibly important.
Because creativity rarely emerges from a brain that feels under threat.
Why Stress Narrows the Mind
One of the brain's primary responsibilities is keeping you alive.
That means when stress levels rise, creativity becomes far less important than efficiency.
From an evolutionary perspective, this makes perfect sense.
If your ancestors were faced with danger, their brains weren't designed to wonder whether there might be a more creative solution. They needed to make quick decisions, focus on immediate priorities and respond without hesitation.
Even though our modern stressors are very different, many of the same neurological systems are still at work today. Deadlines, unread emails, constant notifications…it’s a never-ending stream of information demanding your attention.
Although these aren't life-threatening in the traditional sense, the brain often treats them as signals that something requires immediate action.
The result is a phenomenon sometimes referred to as attentional narrowing.
Instead of remaining open to possibilities, the brain becomes highly selective. Attention narrows towards whatever feels most urgent.
This can be incredibly useful when you're trying to execute a plan or complete an important task. But creativity asks the brain to do something entirely different.
Creative thinking depends on openness.
It depends on allowing ideas to drift, combine and evolve in unexpected ways.
It requires what psychologists sometimes describe as divergent thinking. The ability to generate multiple possibilities rather than immediately narrowing down to a single answer.
A brain constantly scanning for the next task doesn't naturally enter that state.
That's why creativity often feels harder when we're overwhelmed, even though we're working harder than ever.
It's not that we've become less creative. It's that we've created fewer opportunities for creativity to emerge.
Creativity Doesn't Live in One Part of the Brain
Another common myth is that creativity comes from a single "creative centre" inside the brain.
The reality is much more interesting.
Creativity isn't located in one brain region.
It's the product of multiple brain networks working together, each contributing something different to the creative process.
I like to think of it as an orchestra.
Every section has its own role. No single instrument creates the music on its own. Instead, creativity emerges from the coordination between them.
One of the most important of these systems is the Default Mode Network, or DMN.
This network becomes more active when your attention turns inward. When you're daydreaming, reflecting or imagining future possibilities.
Allowing your thoughts to wander without directing them towards a specific task.
For years, scientists actually believed these moments represented inactivity, as though the brain was taking a break.
We now know the opposite is true.
The Default Mode Network is incredibly active during internally focused thought. It helps integrate memories, connect experiences and identify patterns that might otherwise remain unnoticed.
It's one of the reasons seemingly unrelated ideas can suddenly come together into a completely new insight.
The DMN is constantly asking:
"What if?"
"How does this connect?"
"Have I seen something like this before?"
That quiet background processing is an essential ingredient of creative thought.
The Brain Also Needs Someone to Evaluate the Ideas
Of course, imagination alone isn't enough. Creative ideas still need structure. They need refining and testing against reality.
That's where another network comes in: the Central Executive Network (CEN).
If the Default Mode Network is responsible for generating possibilities, the Central Executive Network is responsible for evaluating them.
It's involved in focused attention, planning, decision-making and goal-directed thinking. It helps organise ideas, determine which ones are useful and decide which ones should be discarded.
Think of it as the editor to the Default Mode Network's author.
One network generates possibilities. The other shapes those possibilities into something meaningful. Neither works particularly well without the other.
Connecting the two is a third system called the Salience Network.
You can think of this as the brain's switching mechanism.
Its role is to determine which network should take priority at any given moment. Should your attention remain focused on the outside world? Or should it shift inwards towards reflection and imagination?
Creative thinking happens when the brain moves fluidly between these 3 networks. Allowing ideas to emerge, before switching back into evaluation and refinement.
It's this constant movement between exploration and execution that gives rise to original thinking.
Modern life, however, makes that much harder.
Our attention is repeatedly pulled back towards external demands.
- Notifications.
- Messages.
- News.
- Social feeds.
- The next task.
- The next deadline.
- The next interruption.
Instead of allowing our thoughts to move naturally between these different modes, we spend much of the day locked into reacting.
And reaction leaves very little room for reflection.
Why Your Brain Keeps Working After You've Walked Away
One of my favourite concepts in cognitive neuroscience is something known as the incubation effect.
If you've ever stepped away from a difficult problem only to discover the solution later, you've experienced it yourself.
Researchers have long observed a four-stage pattern that often appears during creative problem-solving:
Problem → Effort → Disengagement → Insight
At first, we gather information and consciously work on the problem. Then we reach a point where progress seems to stall.
That's usually where frustration begins.
Most of us assume the answer is to push harder, but neuroscience suggests something different.
Even after you've stopped consciously thinking about a problem, your brain hasn't stopped processing it.
Background processing continues beneath conscious awareness, integrating information, testing connections and exploring possibilities that deliberate thinking may never reach.
This is why solutions often seem to arrive unexpectedly.
Not because your brain suddenly started working, but because it never stopped.
Stepping away isn't abandoning the problem. It’s not ‘giving up’. It's giving your brain permission to process it differently.
Why Space Matters More Than We Think
I often describe creativity using a simple analogy.
Imagine standing in the middle of a brightly lit city and trying to see the stars.
They haven't disappeared. They’re right there. But the artificial light makes them almost impossible to see.
If you drive out into the countryside, it’s a different story. Without all that light pollution, suddenly the stars become much more obvious.
We know they haven’t suddenly appeared. It’s simply that the interference disappeared.
Our minds work in much the same way.
Think of the constant distractions we encounter throughout the day. Books, music, podcasts, videos. Sure some of it’s useful and necessary, but it’s still a distraction.
Creative thinking requires time to process everything we've already taken in. Without that space, our minds remain permanently active.
Can You Create More "Shower Brain"?
The encouraging news is that these conditions aren't exclusive to the shower. They're surprisingly easy to recreate intentionally.
One of the simplest approaches is to go for a walk without constant input.
Leave the headphones behind occasionally, skip the podcast. Being ‘bored’ every now and then is a good thing.
Try to resist the urge to fill every quiet moment with information.
Instead, allow your thoughts to wander naturally without feeling pressure to capture every idea.
Try sitting with your morning coffee without reaching for your phone.
Wait in the car for a few minutes before driving away.
Stand in a queue without automatically opening social media.
These tiny pockets of reduced stimulation may seem insignificant, but they create valuable opportunities for your brain to process rather than simply consume.
Your environment matters too.
Reducing unnecessary background noise, tidying visual clutter or dimming harsh lighting can reduce competing demands on your attention. Making it easier for your brain to shift into a more reflective state.
The same is true after periods of intense concentration.
One of the biggest mistakes we make is immediately replacing one form of cognitive demand with another.
We finish deep work…and instantly pick up our phone.
Instead, try changing your environment.
- Go for a short walk.
- Stretch.
- Breathe.
- Look outside.
Those transition moments often become fertile ground for new ideas because they give your brain an opportunity to switch modes rather than remaining locked in constant input.
It sounds uncomfortable in a culture that celebrates constant productivity. But boredom isn't wasted time. It's often the doorway to imagination.
When nothing external is demanding your attention, the brain naturally begins generating its own material.
But it needs room to do that.
Creativity Doesn't Need More Pressure. It Needs More Space.
When people ask me how to become more creative, they're often looking for another technique, another habit or another tool.
But neuroscience suggests a different place to start.
Instead of asking how you can make your brain work harder, ask whether you're giving it the conditions it needs to do its best work in the first place.
