Experts Attempted to Explain Reddit’s Most Profound ‘Shower Thoughts’

Does it ever seem like some of your best ideas come to you while hot water is pouring over your head? Tell it to “Shower Thoughts.” This forum on Reddit is dedicated to discussing the most profound thoughts people have while washing up, and a group of experts just analyzed some of the best ones.

Mira Showers, a UK-based shower maker, is the company behind the project. It sifted through about 2 million posts on the Shower Thoughts subreddit and sorted them into categories. As it turns out, most of them (28 percent) were about society, politics, or history. Philosophy and existentialism is the second largest category (comprising 20 percent of all thoughts), followed by pop culture, sports, and entertainment (17 percent).

The company then selected some of the most thought-provoking posts and contacted experts for comments and answers. One Reddit user, for example, wondered whether “the soothing feeling from listening to the sound of rain comes from an instinct of knowing that predators are probably taking shelter, so it's a safe time to relax.”

TV psychologist Jo Hemmings provided some context, explaining that this calming effect likely stems from the nine months we spend in the womb, surrounded by water. “It’s also a repetitive, non-threatening noise, masking out other potentially more disturbing sounds like traffic or a dog barking and so our brains relax, knowing there’s no instinctive drive to be vigilant or worried,” Hemmings said. “Falling rain is also similar to white noise—a random mixture of low volume sound frequencies—which decreases sensory input and brain stimulation and so makes us feel calm, soothed, and often sleepy too!"

To see more of these shower thoughts explained, check out the GIFs below or visit the Mira Showers website.