Have you ever had an amazing idea or solved a major problem while you were bathing or taking a shower? How about a profound sense of clarity while you were waiting for the light to turn green at the robot? It's not a coincidence. Something is actually happening with you at that moment. Or rather something is happening in your brain at that moment.
In this post, we'll be going through the various states of the brain and how they are induced. In particular we'll look at the ones that enhance your thinking and problem solving and see how we can use it for our benefit and improve our lives.
Dishwashing or Brainwashing?
Imagine it's the evening and you're just washing and drying off your dishes after dinner. The warm soapy water feels good on your skin and you just let your thoughts run free. You're not thinking anything in particular and the process feels meditative, almost therapeutic. According to a study mindfully washing dishes can leave you feeling alert, determined and inspired while decreasing negative feelings of fear, shame and hostility. It was also found that washing dishes alters the way we perceive time, by being more present - becoming "timeless". Not bad for a chore we hated as kids!
So What's Happening?
Whenever we do mundane but mindful tasks like washing dishes, walking or showering, we get relaxed and our brains release dopamine. This hormone enhances creativity and the task at hand distracts the conscious mind, allowing the subconscious to filter ideas to the surface. These effects create the perfect environment for great ideas and solutions to arise, as if out of nowhere and can sometimes be profound.
The Effect of Brainwaves
An important effect to consider when going about life, doing tasks, is the state of one's mind at any given moment. Not only will this help you identify your emotional state but will also help you manage stress and control your performance. I'm sure you've noticed how alert you feel after a cup of coffee or how spaced out you are when you are about to sleep. These states can be attributed to the rate or frequency at which the electrical patterns in your brain fire. Also known as "brain waves" these frequencies are measured with an electroencephalograph (EEG machine). Now there are 5 types of brain wave frequencies, each having different characteristics which I list below. These are: Gamma, Alpha, Beta, Theta and Delta waves.
Gamma Waves
- As the highest frequencies, Gamma waves appear in higher processing tasks and cognitive functions. These include learning, memory and information processing.
- - Frequency: 40 - 100 Hz
- - Too much: Anxiety, stress, high arousal
- - Too little: ADHD, depression, learning disabilities
- - Ideal: cognition, information processing, learning, perception and REM sleep
- - How to Increase: Meditation
Beta Waves
These waves are involved in conscious thought and logical thinking, allowing us to focus on school or work tasks. Beta waves allow us to do daily tasks like critical thinking, writing, reading and socialising.
- Frequency: 12 - 40 Hz
- Too much: Anxiety, stress, high arousal
- Too little: poor cognition, depression, daydreaming
- Ideal: Focus, memory and problem solving.
- How to Increase: stimulants like coffee and energy drinks etc.
Alpha Waves
- Alpha waves help us calm down and relax. They are the bridge between the conscious and subconscious.
- Frequency: 8 - 12 Hz
- Too much: Daydreaming
- Too little: Stress, insomnia, OCD
- Ideal: Relaxation
- How to Increase: Marijuana, relaxants, meditation
Theta Waves
These waves are involved in in the deeper states of mind such as daydreaming, sleep and even hypnosis. Theta waves allow us feel deep and raw emotions while improving our intuition and creativity.
- Frequency: 4 - 8 Hz
- Too much: Hyperactivity, impulsivity
- Too little: Poor emotional awareness, anxiety
- Ideal: Creativity, intuition, emotional connection
- How to Increase: Meditation, depressants
Delta Waves
- Delta waves are the slowest brain waves and are often found in infants and young children. These waves are involved in the deepest levels of relaxation and healing sleep.
- As an aside, if you have an infant or young child, be mindful of what you do and say around them because they function mainly in delta waves and absorb everything like a video camera. Some behaviours can be imprinted on them at this stage so make sure you program them with love and habits that will serve them better in life.
A Better Life with Brainwaves
- Is it possible to harness the power of these brainwaves to improve one's life? I'd say most definitely! Being able to recognise the state of your mind brings you one step closer to actively changing it for your benefit. Imagine you have a lot of work or studying to do, what if you could switch your mind to beta frequencies for extra focus, problem solving and memory retention. Or how about getting restorative sleep after a long day by being in delta waves. My favourite use of these brain states is the creativity and inspiration that comes with theta waves. Many innovators and artists have actively put their minds in theta in order to generate new ideas and creative exploits.
One of America's most prolific inventors and businessmen, Thomas Edison - who invented the motion picture camera and early light bulb - would enter into a theta state and come up with solutions and inventions. He did this by entering what's called a hypnagogic state where he would maintain a state between sleep and wakefulness. Whenever he took his daily nap, he would hold a metal ball in his hand which would fall on a metal plate when he fell asleep. The loud noise would then wake him up and he would quickly journal the ideas which came up during his half-dreamy state. Other notable geniuses who used this method are: Nikola Tesla, Sir Isaac Newton and Ludwig van Beethoven. So if you feel like creating a new theory of gravity, reinventing music or just pursuing your passions, it might be worth knowing when and how to use your powerful brainwaves.
Image of Thomas Edison holding one of his steel balls. Image by techoffside.com
Superconscious Downloads
- A final consideration for the power of shower thoughts, is what some people experience as divine inspiration or downloads from a super-consciousness. Unlike the conscious or the subconcious mind, the superconscious can be defined as a transcendental state of mind where knowledge can be obtained through non-physical means. Super-consciousness can have the characteristics of intuition, creative thinking, inspiration and spirituality. Different parapsychologists, scientists and mystics attribute insights from this state of mind to varying sources including: a natural cosmic intelligence, the collective human unconscious by Sigmund Freud or my favourite, intelligent beings from alternate dimensions. Closely related to the dream state, super-consciousness can be achieved through meditation, sleep or mind-altering substances. I myself have received numerous solutions and inspirational downloads from meditations and dreams. There really is a lot to uncover about the human mind and its connection to reality. Hopefully we will have a fuller understanding as we do more research, have open-minded conversations and have more...
- Shower thoughts.