The Spotify Wrapped cut-off date is edging closer, which means music lovers - now is the time to get that embarrassing, summer hyper-fixation track off your top 10 by any means necessary.
For some, that’ll mean stacking up songs while they’re on the treadmill while others will choose to listen to back-to-back bangers in the shower.
But did you know blasting music while you’re getting washed could have a seriously detrimental effect on your health?
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One woman who wants you to stop showering to showtunes is Gretchen Rubin, a New York Times bestselling author and leading happiness scholar.
The 58-year-old Missouri native, who is also a Yale University graduate and public speaker, actually advises against any mental stimulation while bathing.
That means no music, no podcasts and definitely no propping up your laptop on the toilet seat to watch re-runs of Brooklyn Nine-Nine - but why?
Well according to Rubin, constant sound and companionship could be sabotaging your creativity levels and stop you from connecting with your subconscious self.
She states that by ‘just tapping into your environment’ and blocking out distractions like music and TV, you could become more mindful.
Laying down her law, the author claims people need ‘open searching time’ so that new ideas can bubble up in their brains.
“I mean, this why people get ideas in the shower or in the middle of the night because it’s a downtime where then the brain, it’s kind of creating its own fun,” she explained to podcast host and mindbodygreen founder Jason Wachob.
“Boredom is very important. Paradoxically I’m fascinated by boredom.
“It's when I'm bored that I have big insights because my brain is open and trying to entertain itself.”
Rubin went on to say that if you want to get your creative spark back, you should try to let your mind wander for at least a few minutes per day.
This could happen anywhere. The sauna; a walk around the park during your lunch break, or yes, even the shower.
“I don't know that I would have a brilliant insight if I walked around listening to a podcast," she confessed. “As much as I love listening to podcasts, I would have been thinking about whatever the podcast was about.”
If you’re skeptical about Rubin’s instructions then you may be interested to know that other experts have also conducted studies into whether boredom can birth brilliance.
In 2014, Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman published an article titled ‘Does Being Bored Make Us More Creative’.
The pair tasked participants 170 participants in total with completing a ‘boring’ activity, such as reading or writing, before embarking on a creative pursuit.
Results, presented at the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference in 2013, found that boring activities resulted in increased creativity in study partakers.
They also found that boring reading activities lead to more creativity in some circumstances than boring written activities.
“The role of daydreaming as a mediator between boredom and creativity is discussed and implications are outlined,” they added.
While Rubin’s idea that ‘boredom is good’ may be backed up by science others claim they rely on music while showering because they have ‘too much going on in their heads’.
“Many people have too much going on in their heads,” typed one Instagram user.
“That’s why they listen to music in the shower, so they can actually relax. What do we have to have ideas about? Why can’t we just enjoy the things we love?”
Another argued: “I’m listening music all day long (not because I’m bored!) and actually am able to think at the same time…”
Someone else penned: “I love my drive home from work without music - I'm in autopilot and my brain is free for 30mins.”
Topics: Science, World News, Health, Music
Ella Scott