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I Need a Cold Shower

To most people, the thought of taking a cold shower is anything but appealing. The shower or its sister the bath are places of comfort and warmth. True, they serve as a tool to clean oneself and perhaps in years past this trait was the primary focus, but today they are so much more. A place of solitude and free from the distractions of the modern world, the shower is a daily retreat from outside connection. Internet culture has even coined a phrase for the ideas that only come when the sea of chaos quiets in the mind: shower thoughts. As with most of these internet phenomena, reddit has formed an entire community based on the concept. Essential to this view and enjoyment of the shower is comfort. If the shower was not enjoyable, the individual would be incapable of slowing down or sticking around long enough to enter their social retreat. The shower would be fled from instead of fled towards. These benefits set aside, consider for a moment the benefits of a cold shower. 

Self discipline and self control are near universally praised traits. From religious monks to company owners, academics to day-laborers, success depends at least partly on the denial of an immediate benefit for a greater benefit in the future. The concept of investment relies on a type of self-denial. Some explain this trait as an innate capacity for self-discipline, but with time and effort this skill can be developed. Child psychologists use the evolution of this skill to track the development in young kids. Even as adults, people can develop the skill of self-discipline with practice. Like a muscle, exercising consistently yields measurable results. With the option of a warm shower available for most people in developed countries, the act of a cold shower is at the very least an exercise in self-denial and self-discipline. By denying a comfortable shower in lieu of an unpleasable one, an individual exercises the muscle of self-discipline making future self-denial easier. 

Aside from the psychological benefit, researchers also understand medical benefits. Exposing the body to cold temperatures provokes a neurological response to increase circulation. The biology is simple. When extremities are cold, the body pushes more warm blood to increase the temperature. Other possible medical benefits include increasing the metabolism (aiding in weight loss) or even heightening immune system function.

Beyond the mental and physical benefits, taking cold showers, if timed right, can have behavioral advantages. Distinct form psychological benefits, which are patterns of thinking, behavioral advantages only include shaping immediate behavior. For example, sleeping well for a night can have behavioral benefits, but being generally well rested has mental benefits. Cold showers tackle both. By taking a cold shower in the morning, a person starts their day with a shock that can push them towards productivity. After drying off, the person can feel that they have already accomplished something that took extra effort, making expending extra effort easier throughout the day. Like going for a run or even making the bed every morning, small routine acts can work as a daily jump start. These actions start a type of behavior momentum that can be carried throughout the day.

When the comfort of warm water is replaced with an icy cascade, the bather is likely to shorten their time spent showering. While this brevity may keep skin healthier and waste less water, it also removes the opportunity for real solitude, which requires time. The simple solution to this new problem is to create another space for solitude. Perhaps this new space will take more effort to create, but with the behavioral benefits of the cold-shower, one might find the new routine easier than expected.

Are these benefits worth denying oneself what may be one of few remaining daily comforts? People may find that instead of losing this comfort, it will be replaced by a new type of comfort. The benefits are not limited to the time spent in the shower but are carried through the day. Still, this ritual is not for everyone. If a cold shower is just a little bit too much for the reader, perhaps they might consider some other small daily act of self-discipline or behavior momentum and be surprised at how far it takes them.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049052/


https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/ice-bath-benefits


https://health.clevelandclinic.org/are-cold-showers-good-for-you/


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