Wash Hands to Boost Optimism; Study

A new study has found that physically cleaning hands boosts optimism.

The study, conducted by Dr. Kai Kaspar from the University of Cologne, found that people who washed hands after failing a task were more optimistic. However, they were also more likely to make less effort in passing a subsequent test.

The idea of washing hands to feel better isn't entirely new. Previous research has shown that removing dirt from hands takes away the doubts regarding recent choices. Another similar study has shown that thinking of an immoral act makes us want to wash our hands.

In the present study, researchers divided 98 participants in three groups. Two of these groups were given an impossible task. They then asked one of the groups to wash their hands and tested optimism levels of both groups. They found that people who washed their hands had higher levels of optimism than the other group.

In the second part of the study, researchers gave participants in all the groups another task. They found that people who cleaned their hands performed poorly in the second test while those who didn't get to wash hands had good scores.

"It (washing hands) reduces the motivation to try harder in a new test situation to restore one's own perception of competence. Hence, physical cleansing seems to result in being in a better position to deal with failure. The study will prompt more focus on the daily ritual of washing from the psychological perspective especially the effects on our actions," a statement by alphagalileo.org said.

The study is published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.