You are in the shower when that brilliant, light bulb moment suddenly happens!  The shower sure does seem like a weird place for incredible and great ideas, but researchers say “shower thoughts” are pretty common.

This raises the question…why do so many people get brilliant ideas while in the shower doing uninspiring things, like washing your hair?

While previous research has suggested that people get more creative when their mind wanders, a new study finds that those mindless tasks (like showering) aren’t so mindless after all.

The mind actually works better when there’s a moderate level of engagement. So, just doing something that IS truly boring that doesn’t require a whole lot of thought does not spark more creativity than a simple task which requires a small amount of the person’s attention.